One hundred years ago, Chapin, the new seat of Hidalgo County government, was taking shape. (Chapin would be renamed Edinburg in 1911.) In addition to homes and other structures, a new county courthouse and county jail were built in 1910 in the center of town. Not only is the latter still standing, but it is alive with visitors from around the world.

The Museum of South Texas History celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail with a special exhibit, Behind These Walls: From Jail to Museum, 1910 – 2010. The exhibit opened earlier this month and will run through September 2010.

This exhibit tells the story behind the many lives of the 1910 Hidalgo County jail. It only served as the county jail for 11 years before being converted into Edinburg Community House in 1921, where various community organizations met, including the fledgling Edinburg Volunteer Fire Department. In 1924, the building was used as a city hall. It was also a fire and police station for several decades.

In 1966, when the new city administration building opened, the old jail stood empty for a short while before it was restored as a historical museum. On April 19, 1970, the Hidalgo County Historical Museum, now called the Museum of South Texas History, opened its doors to visitors.

Visitors to the special exhibit will learn about the most notorious and controversial event in the jail’s history, the 1913 execution by hanging of Abram Ortiz. The hanging room and steel trap door are still visible, and details about the case, the trial, and the execution will be displayed. The exhibit also describes how the jail was restored in the late 1960s for its new birth as a museum. Today, it is an official Texas Historic Landmark and remains one of the most widely visited historical structures in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Museum of South Texas History was founded in 1969 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum. Originally housed in Hidalgo County’s 1910 Old Jail, the museum has since expanded to three main buildings, providing visitors with an understanding of regional history from prehistoric times through the twentieth century.

For more information on the museum or the exhibit, visit www.mosthistory.org or call 956-383-6911. The Museum of South Texas History is located on the Hidalgo County Courthouse Square in downtown Edinburg.