The frontier area that became Clay County was settled in 1857. When soldiers withdrew from the area during the Civil War, Indian attacks began again and forced out settlers. Settlers returned in earnest in the early 1870s, setting up Henrietta as the county seat. In 1884 the county built a redbrick-and-sandstone courthouse and in 1890 built a large jail. The domed courthouse remains and, a block away, so does the jail, now a museum and heritage center. The original cells and a never-used gallows depict the austere life of an inmate. The refurbished sheriff’s living quarters show life on the other side of the bars.
Related
Lakes Trail Region
Clay County 1890 Jail Museum — Heritage Center
116 N. Graham Street Henrietta, TX 76365 (940) 538-5655 Website
Clay County 1890 Jail Museum - Heritage Center116 N. Graham Street
Henrietta, TX 76365
Lakes Trail Region
Clay County Courthouse
100 North Bridge Street Henrietta, TX 76365 (940) 538-4631 Website
Clay County Courthouse100 North Bridge Street
Henrietta, TX 76365