Williamson County Jail
Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In continuous use since 1888. Native limestone. Cost $22,000. Replaced 1848 frame jail at grand jury request. Financed without a bond issue. French Bastille styling, unchanged at remodeling, at cost of $40,000, in 1934. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Williamson County's grand jury demanded a better lockup, the county replaced its 1848 frame jail with this imposing native-limestone building in 1888, paying for it without a bond issue. Its striking design borrows the look of the French Bastille, and a 1934 remodeling left that appearance intact. It has held prisoners continuously ever since.
Why it matters
Nineteenth-century county jails like this reflect how growing Texas communities invested in permanent institutions of law and order.
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Themes & tags
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