Old Hidalgo County Jail
Edinburg, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Erected 1909-1910. One of first buildings in town after county seat moved here 1908 from Old Hidalgo. Spanish architecture, with red tile roof, white walls. A new jail was built in 1922; this became community center, and served as a meeting place for civic groups until 1931; then was city hall until 1966. Now the Hidalgo County Museum, its tower houses a hanging trap actually used only once, in 1913. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Erected in 1909-1910, this Spanish-style building with its red tile roof and white walls was among the first structures in Edinburg after the county seat moved there from Old Hidalgo in 1908. After a new jail replaced it in 1922, it served in turn as a community center, meeting place for civic groups, and city hall until 1966 before becoming the Hidalgo County Museum. Its tower still holds a hanging trap used only once, in 1913.
Why it matters
The old jail charts a young border county seat's civic evolution, from frontier justice to community hub to keeper of its own history.
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Themes & tags
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