The Old Jail Art Center houses a remarkable art collection for a museum in a town the size of Albany. The seat of Shackelford County, about 35 miles northwest of Abilene, only has around 2,000 residents. Yet, the town’s art museum contains sketches by Pablo Picasso, ancient masterpieces, work by cutting-edge Texas artists, and of course, a room of historic ranching mementos.
The mesquite-covered grasslands west of Fort Worth were once the undisputed territory of the Comanche. Ranchers began moving into the country by the mid-1800s. In 1867, the U.S. Army established Fort Griffin a few miles north of the future town of Albany. The Indian raids ended with the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon in September 1874.
Ranches soon began fencing in the rugged country. Spreads could easily cover thousands of acres. This was the land and the pioneers that inspired countless Hollywood Westerns. Then in 1926, oil was discovered in the area and another Texas legend was born.
In 1977, three Shackelford County pioneer families joined together to create what Texas Monthly has called “the best small town art museum in Texas — and maybe the nation.” Two hours west of Fort Worth and 25 miles north of the interstate highway, the benefactors chose a most unlikely place to put a world-class museum.
Construction began on the two-story, four-room stone jail in 1877. Shackelford County’s first permanent jail caused an uproar when local taxpayers saw the $9,000 price tag. The building was abandoned in 1929 for a more modern hoosegow. Robert E. Nail, heir to one of the area’s ranch fortunes and a playwright, purchased the building for $350 in 1940. He wrote the acclaimed The Times of Their Lives and the script for the famous Fort Griffin Fandangle. Nail used the limestone building as a studio for two decades.
Reilly Nail, an author and television producer, inherited “Uncle Bobby’s jail” in 1968. Nine years later he joined with his cousin, artist Bill Bomar, to bring the private art collections of several wealthy families together for public exhibition. The permanent collection now includes more than 1,800 works of art, plus a sizable library.
The Old Jail Art Center opened its first four rooms to the public in December 1980. In 1984, three more galleries, a pavilion, an outdoor sculpture courtyard, and the library were added. The Old Jail was accredited in 1989, a status rarely given to small museums. In 1996, an additional wing opened more gallery space.
The permanent collection, which is rotated every three months or so, consists primarily of modern work by American and European artists. Unusual for a small American museum is the Old Jail’s collection of contemporary British artists.
The museum’s holdings include a number of works from the Fort Worth School, a period when Cowtown visual artists were on the cutting edge (1945-1955). A significant number of Taos Contemporary artists are also represented. The Art Center actively collects young Texas artists and showcases their work in an annual show.
Bomar, who lived much of his adult life near Taos and died in 1991, contributed his collection of 280 handmade crosses to the museum. Housed in an upstairs room where the jail cells used to be, the collection encompasses religious objects from the intricately carved to pieces of weathered wood. Next door in the Reilly Nail Gallery, Japanese watercolors and pottery sit next to an early-20th-century Buddhist prayer book.
One of the museum’s centerpiece collections are the 37 terra cotta tomb figures from 202BC to AD906 collected by Jewel Nail Bomar, Bill’s mother. The Old Jail is also the home of W.O. Gross Jr.’s collection of pre-Columbian pottery.
As would be expected of a Texas museum, one gallery is dedicated to the ranch culture that has surrounded the community for more than a century. The Sallie Reynolds Matthews Room looks like a ranch family room with heirlooms and keepsakes displayed along with tools of the trade.
From sculptures in the courtyard to six-shooters in the history room, the little museum covers a lot of ground. One trip to this scenic little town isn’t enough to catch it all. The permanent exhibit changes regularly and the museum often hosts special exhibits. Stop by and see why this place is worth bragging about.
Admission to the museum is free. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-5pm, and Sunday, 2-5pm. At 201 S. Second, the Old Jail is a block east of the Shackelford County Courthouse on Hwy. 283. For information, call 915/762-2269 or go to www.albanytexas.com.
The Fort Griffin Fandangle is a theatrical history staged by the citizens of Albany since 1938. The outdoor production takes place on the last two weekends of June. For ticket information, call 915/762-3642.
550th in a series. Day Trips, Vol.2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.Jailhouse rock
This article appears in December 21 • 2001.
