Brown County Jail

Duane's take

Now, I'm tellin' this one the way the official marker tells it, so let's set the record straight together. Somewhere in Brownwood, Texas, there stands a building that looks less like a county jail and more like something a medieval king dreamed up on a restless night. Turrets.

Castellated roofline. Rusticated stone. Romanesque arches wide enough to swallow a wagon whole.

That is the Brown County Jail, and its story starts the way a lot of good Texas stories start: with somebody deciding the old way just wasn't good enough anymore. In 1901, Brown County commissioners looked at their 1881 jail and made a call. That building, they said, no longer met the needs of the county.

Voters agreed, authorized the bonds, and the wheels were set in motion for something altogether more serious. The commissioners hired Martin, Moodie and Co. of Comanche, Texas, working in partnership with the Youngblood Brothers, to undertake the project. Local contractor William Hood came on as construction superintendent.

And when it was all said and done, completed in 1903, what they had built was one of the best remaining examples of fortress-style jail design in the entire state of Texas. Now, the look of the thing, that castle-like appearance, that did not happen by accident. The exterior stonework was performed by William F. and Albert Morton, English stonemasons, using local sandstone.

And friend, their craftsmanship shows. It shows on this building, and it shows on a number of other structures around Brownwood as well. Those walls were built to mean something.

On the inside, the steelwork was designed by D.F. Youngblood of San Antonio, working alongside his brothers who hailed from Troy, Alabama. Those brothers would later become founders of the Southern Steel Company, a noteworthy builder of prisons and manufacturer of prison equipment.

So the men who helped build this jail went on to build a great many more. The first floor of the building accommodated living quarters for the sheriff and the jailer, which is a particular kind of dedication to your work, living right there inside the fortress you're responsible for. The jail served Brown County for decades, but by 1981, it could no longer meet modern jail standards, and it ceased to function in that capacity.

That could have been the end of the story. It wasn't. The building was revitalized for use as a county museum, and it remains a significant part of Brown County's architectural heritage.

So that old castle on the Texas plains, built to hold the county's troubles inside stone walls, ended up holding its history instead. Some buildings earn that kind of second life.

What the marker says

In 1901, Brown County commissioners determined their 1881 jail no longer met the needs of the county, and voters authorized the issuance of bonds to pay for the construction of a new facility. The commissioners hired Martin, Moodie and Co. of Comanche, Texas, in partnership with the Youngblood Brothers, to undertake the project. Local contractor William Hood served as construction superintendent. Completed in 1903, the Brown County Jail was designed to reflect the security of an ancient fortress and is one of the best remaining examples of this design in Texas. The castle-like appearance is clearly exhibited in the building's rusticated stone, castellated roofline, corner turrets and wide, Romanesque Revival arches. William F. and Albert Morton, English stonemasons, performed the exterior stonework using local sandstone. The Mortons' craftsmanship is evident in a number of other structures in Brownwood as well. The interior steelwork was designed by D.F. Youngblood of San Antonio and his brothers from Troy, Alabama, later founders of the Southern Steel Company, a noteworthy builder of prisons and manufacturer of prison equipment. The first floor accommodated living quarters for the sheriff and jailer. By 1981, the building was unable to meet modern jail standards and it ceased to function in that capacity. Revitalized for use as a county museum, it remains a significant part of Brown County's architectural heritage. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1963