REVIVAL OF A ROMANESQUE ICON

Milam County had a prison problem in the late 1800s – too many prisoners and too few jail cells. Historians aren’t sure whether the Milam County law was particularly successful at catching criminals or this Brazos Trail Region county attracted more than its share of perpetrators but either way county commissioners solved the problem by simply building a bigger jail. Located in the county seat of Cameron and constructed in 1895, the new Milam County Jail featured a first floor for storage and the resident sheriff, two upper floors of prison cells, and a hanging tower. Built of red brick and stone detailing in an imposing Romanesque Revival style, the jail building and its hanging tower served the county until 1975. After closing, county commissioners handed the landmark over to the Milam County Historical Commission who reopened it as a museum in 1978. Today, the Milam County Museum features three main attractions – the jail where visitors will learn all about the historic jail building, the storefront Annex on the town square where Milam County history is on display, and the Old Cameron Village, a scale model of the original townsite.