| Wilson County Courthouse and Jail | |
| Designated Other1: | TSAL |
| Designated Other1 Date: | May 28, 1981 |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 698 |
| Designated Other1 Num Position: | bottom |
| Designated Other2: | RTHL |
| Designated Other2 Date: | 1984 |
| Designated Other2 Number: | 5856 |
| Designated Other2 Num Position: | bottom |
| Coordinates: | 29.1333°N -98.1569°W |
| Mapframe-Marker: | building |
| Mapframe-Zoom: | 12 |
| Mapframe-Caption: | Interactive map showing the location for Wilson County Courthouse |
| Added: | May 5, 1978 |
| Refnum: | 78003001 |
The Wilson County Courthouse and Jail are located in Floresville, Texas. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas in 1978 and the courthouse as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1984.
Architect Alfred Giles used local brick for the Italianate design. The courthouse was remodeled in the 1930s, when the bricks were plastered over,[1] and again in the 1950s.[2] Giles also designed the Brooks County Courthouse, Fredericksburg Memorial Library, Live Oak County Courthouse, Presidio County Courthouse, Webb County Courthouse as well as courthouses in the counties of Goliad and Kerr. In 1909, Giles designed the facade of the Kendall County Courthouse.[3] He also designed the 1885 Llano County courthouse, which burned down in 1892.[4] [5]
In use until 1974, the white brick and stucco cubic jail was designed in 1887 by James Riely Gordon and built at the NE corner of the square.[6] Contractor B.B. Reid erected the building for $14,000. General living quarters are on the ground floor, with the prisoner cells on the second floor separated from the second-floor bedrooms. Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company manufactured the pre-fab cell blocks.[7]
The jail is now operated by the Wilson County Historical Society as the Wilson County Jailhouse Museum.[8] [9] Visitors can view the original jail cells. The museum is open the first Saturday of the month and for special events.