{"nrhp_refnum":"78002984","name":"Old Taylor County Courthouse and Jail","other_names":["Buffalo Gap Jail"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"William St. between North and Elm Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buffalo Gap","county":"Taylor County","state":"TX","lat":32.28614137300008,"lon":-99.82711275899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-06-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, hip-roofed sandstone courthouse and jail on the east side of William Street in Buffalo Gap, Taylor County, Texas, built in 1879-80 by the contracting firm of Martin, Byrne and Johnston.","why_significant":"It was the first public building in Taylor County and is the oldest structure in Buffalo Gap, the last remnant of the old town. It reflects the town's lost expectations after the Texas and Pacific Railroad bypassed it and the county seat moved to Abilene. Its exterior is largely intact and it has served many uses over nearly a century.","narrative":"Built in 1879-80 of sandstone, the old Taylor County courthouse and jail in Buffalo Gap was the county's first public building and is now the oldest structure in the community. The two-story, hip-roofed building was erected by the contracting firm of Martin, Byrne and Johnston. Small flared \"loophole\" windows on the second floor of three facades allowed rifle fire with little exposure, and cannon balls were reportedly set in the walls to discourage escape. Buffalo Gap was named temporary county seat in 1878 and expected to grow, but the Texas and Pacific Railroad bypassed it, and within two years the seat moved to Abilene. The building continued as a jail for some years, then housed an Odd Fellows lodge from 1891 to 1942, a residence until 1956, and later a museum started by attorney Ernie Wilson. The exterior has changed little, though doors were replaced and mortar has deteriorated. Restoration as a museum was planned.","period_of_significance":"1879-80","architect_builder":"Martin, Bryne & Johnston","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as fair to good and largely unaltered on the exterior, with some deteriorated mortar. It was listed as unoccupied, and the owner planned restoration and reopening as a museum.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.738003-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/9735/40973582/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78002984.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002984/2bd851198a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002984/2bd851198a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Taylor_County_Texas_Jail_and_Courthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Taylor_County_Texas_Jail_and_Courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973582","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001337"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/taylor-county/old-taylor-county-courthouse-and-jail-78002984/"}