Category Archives: Jail
In early 1924, prohibition had been in effect for years and as a result, many locals had turned to cranking out their own illegal “hootch” in copper stills, a problem that wouldn’t entirely go away until the late 1950’s, even after prohibition was long since revoked.
The attached photo illustrates the level which illegal alcohol production had reached, when a Courtney’s moving truck, was required to haul all the illegal booze back to the Williamson County Jail on S. Van Buren St. for disposal after the latest raid in February, 1924. Continue reading
The following post was printed in Footprints, the quarterly publication of the Williamson County Historical Society. It notates historical background on the old Williamson County Jail that was in use from 1913 to 1972 and now houses the Historical Society. The article was titled “This Old House” and follows:
This building that houses the Williamson County Historical Society has an interesting past. It was one of only five such buildings in the United States that combined the jail and sheriff’s quarters. As I look around at the beamed ceilings, pocket doors, leaded glass and other objects of beauty, I realize that this would have been elegant living in 1913. Continue reading
Graves and Price Hanged on July 10 1903
The vacant lot on South Madison Street in the rear of the old American Legion Home has completed a cycle of public ownership now that it has been purchased by the city for a parking lot. Continue reading
The old jail building on South Van Buren Street was completed in 1913 at a cost of $140,000. It was built by the firm of Sam Fuller and Will Pulley. Its jail section was constructed to accommodate a maximum of 48 prisoners, four times the capacity of the previous jail which was located on South Madison Street across the street from the present entrance to the rear of the post office parking lot. Continue reading