ABOUT US

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

            In the early days, there was a sheriff and one deputy. Local men of upstanding character were deputized and served on a rotating basis. When these men had duty they were responsible for “guarding and feeding” the prisoners. The wives of these men brought the supper for the deputy and all in custody. The men were paid $3.00 per night for this duty.

            In 1894 a new jail was built, which stood for 90 years. The sheriff at that time was Bill Boyd, and the deputies were J. White, Ruffie Barker and the jailor was John Womack. Mr. Womack’s family lived in the jail, on the bottom floor. Jewel Womack Latimer shared these recollections: Sometime her mother, her baby sister, and she would go visit her mother’s sister in Spring Creek for a couple of days. She found out later they had to leave due to an upcoming hanging at the jail. Once they returned and a crowd of angry men were trying to force their way into the jail.  A man who had been scheduled for hanging for murder had his sentence commuted from hanging to life by the governor at the last minute. He had been shipped out to Huntsville by train in the dark of night. The crowd couldn’t believe this when told, and were determined to find the man in the jail and carry out the original sentence themselves.

            Jewel told about the Calaboose, in which she and her sisters played in the summer, as long as no one was occupying it. It was a wooden structure used as a place for drunks to sleep it off, and sometimes crazy people.

            In 1979, the County Commissioners and County Judge approved the building of a new jail to be built down the street located on W. Morgan Street.  Shortly after the new jail was built, the old jail was demolished.

            In 2016, Bosque County Commissioners and County Judge approved plans to have a bond election for the citizen's of Bosque County to approve funding for a new jail facility that would house twice the amount of inmates over the current jail at that time.  The bond election was passed by the voters and a new jail was in the works.  In July 2017, ground broke on the east side of Meridian on FM 2840.  In July 2018, the new facility was opened and is now the current Sheriff's Office and Jail.

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