The Old Pecos County Historic Jail

04/15/2026

🤠 🐴 From the Archives: Pecos County Sheriff’s Posse

The Pecos County Historic Jail Museum is proud to share a collection highlighting the legacy of the Pecos County Sheriff’s Posse—a mounted group that represented Fort Stockton and the surrounding region across West Texas.

This exhibit brings together original riding gear, photographs, and awards spanning nearly two decades.

A set of chaps and a breast harness dating from the 1940s–1950s, along with trophies from the 1960s, were collected by the Pecos County Historical Committee and are now preserved and displayed at the Old Pecos County Jail Museum.

The newest additions to our collection for the sheriff's posse include a group photo, and a portrait of George Burleson, also pictured in the group photo. The group photograph was taken in El Paso, Texas on February 1, 1949 and shows the posse mounted and in coordinated dress, likely during a parade or regional appearance. Their formation reflects the discipline of organized equestrian teams.

Photographs courtesy of Phyllis Burleson Smith, originally donated to the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum and later entrusted to the Old Pecos County Jail Museum by Director Ross Harper. Shared in memory of the Burleson family.

By the 1960s, the posse was actively competing and representing Pecos County in public events. Trophies from this period include a 3rd place finish in a Junior Rodeo Parade (June 21, 1962) and awards from Quarter Horse shows between 1965–1967, highlighting both horsemanship and the quality of their horses.

Together, these items tell the story of a group that carried the spirit of Pecos County beyond its borders—combining service, skill, and community pride.

📸 Posse members identified in the 1949 photograph include:
Windy Woods, Nancy Graham, Frank Hinds, Paul Counts, Olan George, Alf Ten Eyke, Jim Gus Nevins, Bill Slayton, Squirrel Ezell, Dick Arnold, H.C. Brown, Buck Palmer, ___ Lowe, Doc Green, Raymond Hale, Oscar Graham, and *George Burleson.

📣⚠️ We are especially interested in confirming the full name of “___ Lowe” and welcome any additional information about these individuals or their families.

📸 All photos were edited for contrast and detail.

04/06/2026

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. Here are the visitor counts for March 2026. Our fellow Texans are from Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, Rockport, Waxahachie, San Antonio, Salt Flats, Penitas, Austin, Highland Village, Caddo Mill, Odessa, Dallas, and Round Rock.

Out of state visitors came from Montana, Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee.

As always thank you so much for making this Old Jail part of your visit to Historic Fort Stockton.

04/02/2026

💐✝💐Have A Safe Weekend💐✝💐

We will regular hours of operation Monday, April 6th at 1:00 PM. As always thank you for making this Old Jail a part of your visit to Historic Fort Stockton, safe travels.

03/25/2026

After sharing a post about Sheriff C.S. Pete Ten Eyck and the photos of him around the jailhouse residential areas, I realized I did not know much about his background. So, I did a bit of research and want to share what I found.

C.S. “Pete” Ten Eyck (1913–1978) served a long tenure as Sheriff of Pecos County, Texas, dying on duty on February 25, 1978.
Career and Service:
• Tenure: He was Pecos County Sheriff for 25 years, from 1952 up until his death in 1978.
• Legacy of Inclusion: In 1957, he made history by appointing Dorothy Martin as the county’s first female deputy sheriff.
Circumstances of Death:
• Cause: Sheriff Ten Eyck died from a heart attack at age sixty-four.
• Incident: The heart attack struck after he managed a disruptive prisoner who objected to his arrest and being handcuffed.
• Last Act: Refusing to show leniency, the Sheriff began leaving the room but collapsed before making it out.
• Memorial: His service is remembered on both the Texas Peace Officers Memorial and the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Personal Life:
• Family: He was married for over forty years to Roberta Douglass Ten Eyck and had two sons, Ray and Stan.
• Residence: His home was in Fort Stockton, Texas, where the Pecos County Sheriff's Office is based.

If you are interested, please let me know if you would like to see additional mini bios of our other Sheriffs.

03/23/2026

History is more than just dates and badges—it is about the people and the families who helped shape our community. ❤️

During Spring Break, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jess Ten Eyck, a relative of C.S. "Pete" Ten Eyck. Who generously sent me family photos of Mr. Ten Eyck, which were taken in the residential areas of the Jail House. One photo features Pete and Roberta sitting together taken in 1956. Another features Pete, Roberta, and Chief Deputy Buck Luttrell sharing coffee at the kitchen table.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do — it is not often that I come across pictures of our former Sheriffs taken in the residential areas of the Jail House, being them selves outside of the Uniform, a husband, a father, a friend, and neighbor. It is an honor to preserve these memories here at the Old Jail. Do you or your family have an "Old Jail" story? We would love to hear from you pm me or email me at [email protected]

03/23/2026

Apologies for the delayed update—spring break kept us on our toes! Here’s a look at our February visitor numbers: we had guests join us from Topeka (Kansas), Hazel Green (Wisconsin), Iowa, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Cooperstown (New York), Columbus and Alpine (Texas), as well as Ontario, Canada. We appreciate everyone who stopped by Historic Fort Stockton and its museums!

11/27/2025

🍁🍂 Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving break everyone, see you next week. 🍂🍁

11/10/2025

We will reopen Wednesday November 12th at 1:00 PM. Have a safe and wonderful holiday.

🇺🇸 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE 🇺🇸

10/15/2025

🚔👮🚨 Sometimes I get trinkets from people as a "thank you for the tour", todays visitor gifted me with this patch. Safe travels and thanks again for making this Old Jail part of your visit to Historic Fort Stockton.

10/10/2025

Have a safe weekend, everyone. See you Tuesday.

09/12/2025

now hiring!!!

You can pick up an application at The Old Pecos County Historic Jail between 1PM -5PM, Monday - Friday, or in the Treasurer's office at the Pecos County Courthouse between 9AM-5PM, Monday - Friday.
Short Job Description: You will be responsible for offering guided walk-through tours of the Rollins-Sibley House and Hovey School.
additional responsibilities include responding to incoming messages, calls, and emails concerning our historic sites, and some light housekeeping. Basic computer skills are essential for managing our social media accounts.