1994 Terry Winner - Panola County Jail, Carthage, TX
The Old Panola County Jail
213 N. Shelby Street
Carthage, TX 75633
OTHER AWARDS: Registered Texas Historic Landmark; National Registry of Historic Places
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE: Built in 1891, the facility served as the county's first permanent jail until 1953 after which it served as the Carthage City jail until 1965. It is a Romanesque Revival building of red brick. The roof is of standing seam metal with a crenelated ridge cap and has no dormers. Heating was supplied by wood stoves with flues.
HISTORY OF STRUCTURE: Designed by J. N. Crane, the jail had iron doors, bars, and cells, and construction cost $4,250, while the iron cells and doors cost $2,915. Opened in 1892, the jail had a sheriff's office and a four-room home for the jailer. The second floor had four, four-man cells, with "bean holes" for tin plates and cups. The jailer's wife cooked for the inmates.
RESTORATION: After the county and city closed the jail (1965), it was used as a museum until 1970. In 1976 the Panola County Bicentennial Commission reclaimed the building had it recognized as a Registered Texas Historic Landmark and a National Historic Place. The jail fell then prey to vandals until 1987 when City Manager Charles Thomas turned the structure over to Leila Belle La Grone and the Panola County Historical and Genealogical Association. Members raised most of the money themselves through a "Jailhouse Rock," a rocking chair event that raised $3,000, and $16,000 through their publication of the HISTORY OF PANOLA COUNTY. Architect Killis Almond, Jr., with Gerron Hite, designed the project estimated to cost $70,000. The Texas Historical Commission awarded the group $6,000, and with volunteer labor and materials, the project was completed for about $39,000. The lower floor has a genealogy library while the second floor is a museum with a jail cell, a pioneer school room, and local military heroes. In October 1991, the historic jail, now named the "Leila B. LaGrone Family Center," was dedicated at a special ceremony attended by Gov. Ann Richards.
|
