Details for Armstrong County Jail

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5011000203

Data

Marker Number 203
Atlas Number 5011000203
Marker Title Armstrong County Jail
Index Entry Armstrong County Jail
Address
City Claude
County Armstrong
UTM Zone 14
UTM Easting 284480
UTM Northing 3888125
Subject Codes jails and prisons
Marker Year 1969
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No
Marker Location On US 287, one block west of Courthouse Square, Claude.
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 18" x 28"
Marker Text Erected in 1953, this building is constructed of stone used to build the first masonry jail in Armstrong County, 1894. Stone for the structure (which replaced a primitive, frame "calaboose") was quarried 14 miles south at Dripping Springs in Palo Duro Canyon and then hauled here in wagons driven by local citizens. The rock was cut at this site. The 1894 building had two stories, topped by a dome, and 20-inch walls. So sturdy was it that dangerous convicts from other counties were kept here. Old-timers remember that only three prisoners ever escaped. (1969)

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