San Saba has the oldest working jail in the U.S. Until last year, that is.
Yes, we can boast of that fact. It says so on the historical marker in front of the jail.
The San Saba County Commissioners Court voted to decommission the jail this week in their July 20, 2026, meeting. It was a somber moment. The judge asked if anyone would like to make a motion to decommission the jail; there was silence. Everyone knew it needed to be done, but no one wanted to take the first step.
Finally Commissioner James Lebow said, “Sadly, I make the motion to decommission the jail.” After more silence, there was a second. The Judge asked if there was any further discussion. Everything had been said. There was only more silence. Judge Fauley said, “Since there is no further discussion, all in favor of decommissioning the county jail located at 104 Water Street, say ‘Aye’.” Votes were cast. “Any oppose?” Silence. Motion passed.
When the discussion to decommission the jail started, the question was raised on what kind of penalties we would have if we did not decommission the jail. The reason we are in this predicament is because in the past, the jail passed the jail standards. How did we do that?
Because the jail is so old (built in 1883), it was grandfathered in when new standards were created. However, because inspections were not done and the jail is no longer in use, all the rules that were grandfathered in previously are no longer valid. This means there is no way the jail would pass jail standards now.
To find out why we no longer use the jail, find these stories on our website SanSabaNews.com.
• Jail evacuated, then vacated - an article that details a gas leak that started it all.
• San Saba County Jail - more information - a letter from Judge Jody Fauley with more detailed information.
Things in the jail could not recently be tested for regular inspections because there was no water or power. When county officials went in to do inspections, the generator would not start. No other steps were taken, so we lost the grandfather status.
Back to the question, if we do not decommission the jail, what kind of fees would we have to pay?
It was reported in the Commissioners Court meeting that if we cannot pass jail standards, Judge Fauley and Sheriff Jenkins would have to go to the capital either weekly or monthly to report on our status. (The frequency was not known.)Then, after the nine-month mark, based on our progress on getting the jail to meet jail standards, we would be assessed a fee. The amount of the fee was not known.
Three years ago when there was a roof leak at the jail, it cost approximately $20,000 just to patch the roof. To actually repair the roof completely would cost the taxpayers $1.2–1.4 million. In order to save the taxpayers over a million dollars (just for the roof), the Commissioners voted to decommission the jail.
It is an end of an era.
If you would like to read more about our historic jail, read the article, “San Saba County’s 1883 Jail” inside this edition.
This article, and so many other historical articles, are in our yearly Visitor’s Guide Magazine. You can find your copy around town and in the news office located at 505 E. Wallace St.