The Austin County Jail building stands a half block off of the Town Square and consists of three complete stories, plus a fourth, smaller area, know as the “gallows”. The gallows was used only once. On March 14, 1901 at 2:14 pm–Gus Davis was hanged for the murder of Herman Schlunz. In 1976, the Austin County Jail building was awarded a Texas Historical Commission Medallion and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.