Carrizo Springs

The Sanborn map dated 1933 (Sheet 2) shows a small one-story stone county jail in Carrizo Springs, Texas in city block 5 adjacent to the fire department on the west side of Commerce Street. It appears on the map to be 16′ x 17′ in size (272 square feet).  The county courthouse was on the opposite side of the street. According to Ed Blackburn, Jr. in his book entitled “Wanted: Historic County Jails of Texas,” the first jail in the county was constructed in 1885 and made of stone leftover from stone used to build the 1884 courthouse. Blackburn also states that older citizens of the county that he interviewed stated that the sheriff always kept a pile of rocks in a field next to the jail and that the prisoners got their exercise by breaking up the big rocks into smaller ones. The small jail was torn down to make room for the current structure that was erected in 1937 and made of reinforced concrete.  While the current jail was being constructed, metal cages were used to house prisoners outdoors. According to Mike Bradshaw (2009:70) the cages had also been used in Asherton. The 1937 jail was used until 2004 when the current jail was put into use.  One of the  metal cages was donated to the town by the family of one of the former sheriffs and it will eventually be displayed on the grounds of the Chamber of Commerce.

 Carrizo Springs 1933