A movable jail cell that was originally constructed for the Hays County Jail is being called one of Texas’ most endangered historic places.
So says Preservation Texas, a private, non-profit historical society, announcing its 2012 list of Texas’ most endangered places at an annual summit at the Texas Capitol.
The jail cell was built in the style of a log cabin. Preservation Texas notes:
The jail cell remained in use until 1925 as Kyle’s city jail and, later, was moved to the Texana Village at Aquarena Springs. Due to lack of funding, the jail cell along with other buildings and artifacts were removed from the Village. At the eleventh hour, the jail cell was saved and moved to its current location in San Marcos.
Kate Johnson , chairwoman of the Hays County Historical Commission, tells KUT News “we’re actually looking to restore it and then move it back to the Hays County Jail, the old stone jail that we’re also trying to restore,” as part of a broader historical experience.
The jail is joined by other endangered landmarks like the once-grand Ritz Theater in Corpus Christi, and the William Pfluger house, home to one of the founders of Pflugerville.
“In each instance these places are integral to the communities where are they located, yet they are in immediate danger of disappearing from the landscape,” Preservation Texas president Jim Ray states in a press release.
