Brown County Museum of History

10/21/2026

Looking for a fun outing for the whole family? Come explore local history with us! From interactive exhibits to hands-on historical activities, there’s something for visitors of all ages to discover. Our Kid’s Zone is filled with toys, activities, and historical items that let young explorers learn through play!

📍 Museum Hours:
Thursday–Saturday | 10 AM–4 PM

🎟️ Admission:
Adults: $5
Students (ages 5–18): $3
Seniors (60+): $4
Children 4 and under: FREE!

Whether you're revisiting Brown County’s history or introducing your little ones to it for the first time, we invite you to stop by and make some memories with us!

📚 Come curious, leave inspired!

10/17/2026

Only 2 weeks away! 👻 Join us this Halloween for Haunted Jail, a move-at-your-own-pace nighttime walk through the Historic Brown County Jail. Explore its shadowy halls, experience its eerie atmosphere, and discover the stories that linger in its history.

A special thank-you Ethos Pet Brands - Brownwood,TX for supporting the Brown County Museum of History and helping make community events like Haunted Jail possible! We are grateful for their commitment to our community and their support of local programs and events. 👏

🕰️8 PM - Midnight
🗓️ October 31, 2026
🎟️ $5 admission

10/16/2026

👻 STORIES OF THE HAUNTED JAIL
Story #5 | "A Prisoner Escapes—but Is Soon Caught!"*

*From the Brownwood Bulletin, May 19, 1917*

With Jailer R. D. Shumate away on official business, Mrs. Shumate was having a lively time keeping order at the Brown County Jail!

After one prisoner named Salyer pried apart the bars of an upstairs window and escaped, Mrs. Shumate spotted a second prisoner attempting to follow. Armed with an automatic pistol, she ordered him back inside, threatening to shoot if he jumped. The prisoner thought better of it and retreated!

Meanwhile, county and city officers quickly recaptured Salyer at a restaurant just one block away, where he was peacefully eating lunch. He claimed he hadn't intended to run away—he simply wanted to get outside for some fresh air!

As the Brownwood Bulletin put it, the jailers would soon resume personal charge of their “recalcitrant guests.”

👻 HAUNTED JAIL — OCTOBER 31 👻
🕰️ 8PM - MIDNIGHT
📍 Brown County Museum of History
🎟️ $5 admission

Thank you to the Brownwood Bulletin and https://browncountyhistory.org/ for recording the stories of the Old Jail!

10/15/2026

👻 STORIES OF THE HAUNTED JAIL

Story #4 | A Deadly Incident Behind Bars

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This historical account discusses poisoning and loss of life. Reader discretion is advised.

Some chapters in the history of the Historic Brown County Jail are darker than others.

According to the Brownwood Bulletin of April 18, 1974, several inmates became ill after drinking wood alcohol (also called methanol) taken from a jail supply closet. A trusty (a trusted inmate given extra responsibilities or privileges due to good conduct) had reportedly removed the bottle and replaced its contents with water to conceal its disappearance.

Despite the bottle’s warning that the substance was poisonous, several inmates drank it. Two 18-year-old prisoners, Tommy Newton and Jim Edwards, died from the poisoning, and other inmates were hospitalized.

This tragic incident remains one of the darker chapters in the jail’s history.

👻 Join us for Haunted Jail and explore the Historic Brown County Jail after dark. Move at your own pace through shadowy halls, experience the eerie atmosphere, and discover the real stories held within these historic walls.

👻 HAUNTED JAIL — OCTOBER 31 👻

🕰️ 8PM - MIDNIGHT
📍 Brown County Museum of History
🎟️ $5 admission

Thank you to the Brownwood Bulletin and https://browncountyhistory.org/ for recording the stories of the Old Jail!

10/10/2026

We'll be attending Light Up Lake Brownwood TONIGHT! There will be live Join us TONIGHT at Light Up Lake Brownwood! There will be music, delicious food, local vendors and more! Proceeds benefit Brown County United Way of Texas and Youth programs at the Texas 4-H Center - Lake Brownwood. See you there!

Only 2 days until Light Up Lake Brownwood!

Come out to the Texas 4-H Center for a fun evening by the lake with local vendors, yummy food, and live music by Sam Brown and Rachel Proud!

Bring your family and friends. All are welcome!

Get your tickets on our website or through the link in our bio!

October 10 | 5–9 PM

Thank you to everyone who is helping make this event possible!

10/10/2026

We'll be passing out candy at tonight's Movie in the Park hosted by the Visit Early Texas -Early Visitors & Events Center! Be sure to come check it out- it will be a fun night!

10/10/2026

👻 STORIES OF THE HAUNTED JAIL

Story #3 | Locked Up... and Locked In.

According to the Brownwood Bulletin of May 3, 1965, two prisoners escaped from the Brown County Jail on Sunday, May 2, 1965, at approximately 10 a.m. The men locked Jailer Doug Jarvis and trusty Cecil Hamlett in a cell before fleeing the city in an automobile stolen from a nearby church.

The prisoners were Jerry Gage, 28, of Houston, and Eugene Wilson, 34, whose mother resided in Brownwood.

Jarvis and Hamlett had gone into the “bull pen” to retrieve something when Wilson lunged at Jarvis, put a knife to his throat, and said, “You can take it easy or you can take it hard.” Jarvis reportedly told Wilson to go ahead—the jail was all his.

The two escaped prisoners then took a 1954 automobile belonging to Mrs. Royce Newcomb, which was parked at St. John’s Episcopal Church. The car was later found abandoned in Brady at approximately 5 p.m. that Sunday.

Meanwhile, Jarvis and Hamlett remained locked in the cell. About 30 minutes later, a woman arrived at the jail to visit a prisoner. Jarvis yelled through the window and asked her to contact the police and notify the sheriff.

👻 HAUNTED JAIL — OCTOBER 31 👻
Join us at the Brown County Museum of History for a night of history, mystery, and things that may not be so easily explained.

🕰️ 8PM - MIDNIGHT
📍 Brown County Museum of History
🎟️ $5 admission

Thank you to the Brownwood Bulletin and https://browncountyhistory.org/ for recording the stories of the Old Jail!

10/08/2026

👻 STORIES OF THE HAUNTED JAIL

Story #2 | A Dark Chapter for Gilbert Amos

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: Reader discretion is advised.

Some of the stories connected to the Historic Brown County Jail are more difficult to hear than others.

On October 26, 1955, Brown County Jail inmate Gilbert Amos attempted to take his own life while being held on charges related to several crimes in the Brown County area.

Earlier that morning, Amos had written a five-page letter addressed “To the Press and To Whom It May Concern,” along with notes to his wife. The previous afternoon, his wife and five children had visited him at the jail for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

The following morning, Jailer Doug Jarvis discovered Amos unconscious in his cell when he approached with breakfast. Jarvis immediately recognized the emergency and summoned help. Dr. H. L. Lobstein, Brown County Health Officer, and Fire Chief Charles Alford responded with a portable resuscitator and were able to revive Amos.

Dr. Lobstein later described Amos as a “pretty sick man,” though by the following afternoon, his condition had improved enough for him to be returned to the Texas penitentiary in Huntsville. After talking with Amos, they learned that we had felt the only way he could help his family at this point in his life was through Social Security funds, which would only be accessible to them after his death.

More than 70 years later, the walls of the Historic Brown County Jail still hold stories like this one—stories of the people who passed through its cells and the difficult moments that unfolded behind its doors.

👻 HAUNTED JAIL — OCTOBER 31 👻

Join us at the Brown County Museum of History for a night of history, mystery, and things that may not be so easily explained.

🕰️ 8PM - MIDNIGHT
📍 Brown County Museum of History
🎟️ $5 admission

Thank you to the Brownwood Bulletin and https://browncountyhistory.org/ for recording the stories of the Old Jail!

10/05/2026

👻 STORIES OF THE HAUNTED JAIL

Story #1 | Escape in 1939

In 1939, two prisoners called the jailer, named Pinkney Taylor, asking for medicine. When he came to their cell, they slugged Taylor, took his keys, stole a car outside the jail belonging to a Howard Payne College ministerial student, and left town. The men were finally captured several months later.

🔦 Would you spend the night alone in the haunted jail?
There’s only one way to find out what might be waiting inside.

👻 HAUNTED JAIL — OCTOBER 31 👻

Join us at the Brown County Museum of History for a night of history, mystery, and things that may not be so easily explained.

🕰️ 8PM - MIDNIGHT
📍 Brown County Museum of History
🎟️ $5 admission

Big thanks to the Brownwood Bulletin and https://browncountyhistory.org/ for recording the stories of the Old Jail!

10/02/2026

Looking for a fun activity to enjoy this October? Stop by the Kid’s Craft Station at the Brown County Museum of History and create your very own 3-D pumpkin craft! 🍂

Our Kid’s Craft Station features a new hands-on craft each month, giving little visitors a chance to get creative while enjoying their museum visit.

🎃 Stop by, get crafting, and make some fall memories with us!