County Magazine

Blanco County Precinct 1 Commissioner Tommy Weir remembers how the old county jail looked on the town square when he was growing up in Johnson City. It was ominous and imposing, the kind of thing that kept you in line as a kid.

By the time he took office in 2015, the two-story, seven-bed, limestone historic building was vacant and crumbling. 

Years earlier, the county’s jail population had long outgrown the space, which didn’t meet state standards. The sheriff’s office had to send prisoners to other jails in Texas because it didn’t have room to house them.  

From 2010 to 2020, Blanco County’s population grew 8.5%, according to census data. During the past three years alone, it has increased an estimated 14.7%.

As a result of rapid growth, in 2011, the county opened a new jail on U.S. 281, a modern facility with 48 beds, leaving the old jail empty on the corner of Seventh Street and Avenue G. 

For years, the county debated what to do with it — maybe a wine-tasting room, a collection of antique stores, or a bed and breakfast. But, County Judge Brett Bray decided what the county needed most was more office space, along with a newly minted emergency operations center, where agencies can come together to manage responses to large events and catastrophes, such as floods and fires. 

“During disasters, there are a lot of moving parts and people,” said Precinct 3 Commissioner Chris Liesmann, who heads the county’s emergency operations. “This will give a local space in the middle of the county that we can use with a lot of foot traffic in and out without disturbing the other county offices.”

The remodeled space reopened in June, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“I see it in a different light now,” Weir said. “It’s a great addition to the town square.”

The old jail, built in 1894, still retains some of its original character, including bars fixed on the windows. The windows themselves have been replaced to be more energy-efficient, custom-made with an arch design. Clear plexiglass exposes the old corrugated tin ceiling, so visitors can still view what it originally looked like. The remainder of the ceilings are made from spruce, leftover from a local winery in the Hill Country. Etchings on the clear glass walls inside showcase images of the county’s historic courthouse, the county seal, the state flag, and of course, the old jail.

“It’s a really neat facility because the outside looks like 1894,” Bray said. “But the inside looks like 2024.”

The county also tore down the old sheriff’s office that was previously connected to the jail — now part of the Bill Elsbury Law Enforcement Center that includes the new jail — and replaced it with offices. That building is already fully occupied. The total renovation of both buildings cost the county about $740,000, which is paid for with a tax note.

Bray said he is proud the county was able to fulfill the wishes of Blanco County residents who were eager to see something done with the old jail.

“Not only did we remodel it, but because we have people in it, it will be subject to better maintenance,” Bray said. “We are excited that it will be better kept and give us a little extra space to do some things we haven’t been able to do otherwise.”