Wilson County Courthouse and Jail

The Wilson County Courthouse and Jail are located in Floresville, Texas. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas in 1978 and the courthouse as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1984.

Wilson County Courthouse and Jail
Wilson County Courthouse in 2008
Wilson County Courthouse and Jail
Wilson County Courthouse and Jail
LocationPublic Square,
Floresville, Texas
Coordinates29°8′0″N 98°9′25″W
Area3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built1884 (1884)
ArchitectAlfred Giles
James Riely Gordon
Architectural styleItalianate
NRHP reference No.78003001[1]
TSAL No.698
RTHL No.5856
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 5, 1978
Designated TSALMay 28, 1981
Designated RTHL1984

Architect Alfred Giles used local brick for the Italianate design. The courthouse was remodeled in the 1930s, when the bricks were plastered over,[2] and again in the 1950s.[3] Giles also designed the Brooks County Courthouse, Fredericksburg Memorial Library, Live Oak County Courthouse, Presidio County Courthouse, Webb County Courthouse as well as courthouses in the counties of Goliad and Kerr. In 1909, Giles designed the facade of the Kendall County Courthouse.[4] He also designed the 1885 Llano County courthouse, which burned down in 1892.[5][6]

Jailhouse Museum

In use until 1974, the white brick and stucco cubic jail was designed in 1887 by James Riely Gordon and built at the NE corner of the square.[7] Contractor B.B. Reid erected the building for $14,000. General living quarters are on the ground floor, with the prisoner cells on the second floor separated from the second-floor bedrooms. Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company manufactured the pre-fab cell blocks.[8]

The jail is now operated by the Wilson County Historical Society as the Wilson County Jailhouse Museum.[9][10] Visitors can view the original jail cells. The museum is open the first Saturday of the month and for special events.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Wilson County Courthouse". Texas Escapes. Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  3. "THC-RTHL Wilson Co Courthouse and Jail". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  4. Zelade, Richard (2011). Lone Star Guide to the Texas Hill Country. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-58979-609-6.
  5. "THC-1885 Llano County Courthouse". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  6. "Texas Courthouses". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes – Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  7. "THC-NRHP Wilson Co". Texas Historic Commission. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  8. Blackburn, Edward A. (2005). Wanted: Historic County Jails of Texas. TAMU Press. p. 357. ISBN 978-1-58544-308-6.
  9. "Wilson County Jailhouse Museum". Wilson County Historical Society. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  10. "Jail House Museum". Floresville Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
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