February first the Friends of the Red Top Jail are hosting the Llano Area Wide Garage Sale from 9:am - 3:pm at the John L. Kuykendall Events Center, 2200 RR152

The Red Top Jail is now officially owned by the Friends of the Llano Red Top Jail. We took possession in 2015 from the City of Llano to oversee the restoration of this Historic Jail

The restoration work is well underway and the fondation repairs have been compleated. the work was done by Donny Hopson Construction and Capital Foundations in Austin TX

The roof of the gallows and main building have been repaired and painted by Richard Schmidt Construction. The windows, doors and wood were also done by Richard Schmidt, and the ceilings have been painted by Dawn Harrisand the cracks and plaster have now been repaired by Flint Rocker Construction. Be sure to attend the annual meeting and take a tour of the jail.

You can now help with the restoration at https://www.gofundme.com/3ufgbrks

Annual Meeting and Elections
June 2020

Visible from the historic Inks Bridge spanning the Llano River, the Llano Red Top Jail is an imposing Romanesque Revival structure. During the iron ore boom town era of the 1890s, the Red Top with its 4-story gallows tower became a constant reminder to outlaws that they should keep their guns at home. Due to its red roof, prisoners told people that they “stayed at the Red Top last night”.

Tours of the jail are currently on hold while stabilization work is ongoing. We hope to resume a full schedule of tours and events as quickly as possible. Follow our progress on repairs and museum planning on the “Press Release” page and through reading our newsletters. The Friends of the Llano Red Top Jail want to thank you for your patience while this process continues. If you wish to help in any way, check the “How You Can Help” page.

Get Your Membership Application - Here
and become a friend

Our Mission:

The Restoration, Preservation and Promotion of the historic Red Top Jail.

Overview

Built in 1895 for $11,500
Granite exterior quarried locally
Built by J. Pauly Co. in 8 months
First floor housed jailor’s family
Eight jail cells (4/cell)
Red roof
Gallows tower
Prisoners slept on hammocks
Used as the county jail until 1982

GHOSTS

Numerous paranormal societies have “stayed at the Red Top” and recorded extrasensory activity, ranging from electronic voice projections to photographs of orbs and possible ghosts. Some of these sitings/events happened after our first “Haunted House” with 600 kids in 2008. The ghosts had a lot to say about being disturbed! More can be found on the Ghost Stories page

CAN YOU VOLUNTEER?

There is a lot to be done, and we need all of you to volunteer with whatever talents you have. Please call Frank Rowell (325-248-1067) if you have any interest in (1) researching the Red Top's history, (2) recording oral histories from local residents who know stories about the Red Top, or (3) helping with the accurate historical preservation of the building. We also need people who have computer skills (including Photoshop, ArcSoft and website generation).

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the Daytripper's show about Llano as he visits the Red Top Jail with our
Mayor Mike Reagor

The pictures below are photo albums and can be opened by clicking on them.

Misc Photo's of the Red Top Jail

A variaty of pictures of the jail through the years

Ghost Hunting at the jail

Ghost hunters come from around the state to look ghostly activity.

Inside the Red Top Jail

The Pauly jail cells are an imposing sight

jail break at the Llano Red Top Jail

The jail break was staged by the Brazos Bottom Cowographers

Red Top

The cover photo was a gift from Larry Jones

Our first Friends meeting

The Friends of the Llano Red Top Jail gather in 2008 for their first meeting

Llano News

City Conveys Red Top Jail to Friends, Hires New Engineering Firm

Llano Red Top Jail On the Mend

Llano County Journal

Uncovering the past, for the future

Fundraiser aids Red Top Jail restoration efforts

‘Pier’ing at the Red Top Jail’s future

The Picayune

Llano group hopes to reopen historic Red Top Jail

Renovations coming to Red Top Jail in Llano

Renovations being made to Llano’s Red Top Jail to preserve its ‘haunted’ past

The Red Top Jail movie was filmed by the Llano High School with a grant from Preserve America. The film includes two original songs by W. C. Jameson.
Special thanks to Sheri Zoch and Steve Roberts for making this possible.