The Borden County Sheriff’s Office is located at 140 E. Wilbourn Avenue, Gail, Texas 79738; and the phone number is (806) 756-4311.

Borden County, Texas, was created in 1876 and was named after Gail Borden, a Texas patriot who invented condensed milk. The County was officially organized in 1891, and it was five years later that citizens recognized the need for a jail. Borden County Jail was built in 1896. Not only does it still stand today in the very place where it was built, but it is open for public viewing. It is one of the oldest jails in West Texas, though no longer used to hold prisoners.

Maximum-security Borden County Jail was built of hand-hewn native stone taken from Gail Mountain. An historical markerstells about the $4,500 contract that was awarded to Diebold Safe and Lock Co. in 1896. The outer walls are two-feet thick. The floor and walls of the cell are made with case-hardened steel plates 1/3-inch thick, making them “impervious to hack saw blades.” Padlocks are opened using a six-inch key, and enormous hasps and padlocks keep the doors fastened. There are two formal cells inside Borden County jail, and a third is a holding cell.

The only changes at the jail have been the addition of a new roof and modern plumbing. In 1967, the jail was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark.

As with all posts on this site, this post is a source of information. There is no intention to suggest wrongdoing on the part of any individual or government institution.

–Guest Contributor