Smith County’s fourth jail goes up

Smith County’s fourth jail goes up

Beginning1880–81. Card 41 of 165.

The 1881 jail building, November 2014.Renelibrary / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)The original CC BY-SA 4.0 All picture credits

Houston architect Eugene T. Heiner and builder Henry Kane built Smith County’s fourth jail in 1880–81.

After a new jail replaced it in 1916 it housed the Lewis Hotel until 1986.

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Sources

Texas Historical Commission marker: Smith County Jail, 1881 (Atlas 5423007723)atlas.thc.texas.govHouston architect Eugene T. Heiner and builder Henry Kane designed and built this structure in 1880-81 to serve as Smith County's fourth jail.

Checked October 15, 2026. How the cards are filed