Old Medina County Jail - Hondo, TX - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The Old Medina County Jail was originally built in 1893 from the same limestone use to build the adjacent Medina County Courthouse. However, this old jail went through two additions to its building, one in 1949 that lasted 59 years, and second in 1980 that lasted 28 years. In 2009, the county jail was restored to its original configuration and the additions were demolished and removed. Currenty, the Old Medina County Jail is used for office space for both the Medina County Judge and for the Medina County Human Resources.

The Sign of History plaque is found in the yard surrounding this old jail on proper right side of the jail; meaning, it is on your left when you face the front door of the jail from Avenue K. The plaque appears to be an aluminum marker with raised letters with the background painted black. The text printed on the sign reads as follows:

"OLD MEDINA COUNTY JAIL
Designed and built 1893 for $15,000 by the firm of Martin, Byrnes & Johnson, which was then constructing the County Courthouse. This building, designed in the crenellated, round-arch castle style with rock-faced Texas limestone, was an image of security often used for jails of this period. The limestone on the Old Jail and Courthouse is from the same quarry just north of Hondo.

For the first half-century of its existence the downstairs was occupied by the Sheriff and family and the inmates were housed on the second floor. In 1949, an addition was built, and this building was converted to offices for the Sheriff's Department and State Highway Patrol. In 1980, another addition was built, primarily to house female inmates. Both additions were demolished in 2008 in preparation for restoration of the original building, completed in 2009.

The exterior of the building has been restored to its original look, while the interior has been modernized for new office space."

Group that erected the marker: Medina County URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 1502 Avenue K Hondo, TX USA 78861

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Date Logged Log   08/14/2020 WayBetterFinder visited it