Soon after Sutton County was organized (1890), the commissioners authorized the Pauley Jail Building and Manufacturing Co. of St. Louis to erect this jail. Construction was begun in Feb. 1891 under the supervision of Judge J. L. Dunagan. Completed in Sept. 1891, the two story native stone building had a jailer's residence in addition to cells for lawbreakers. The first prisoner here was gambler and gunman John Denson, a cousin of outlaw John Wesley Hardin. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1975