As I sat and munched on an apricot vanilla scone at a local coffee shop, 309 Coffee, which has the best scones in town and the creamiest lattes, I mused about its ancient and quiet neighbor, the Old Williamson County Jail. Built in 1888, it was still operating a hundred years later, holding the most dangerous offenders of the time. Looking across the street, the jail is slightly obscured by a live oak tree and, though boarded up, is still an imposing building even though it’s not very large. The jail resembles the French Bastille and sits off the Square, looking rather odd, surrounded by modern buildings and shops. It is still part of the downtown ghost tour and a courthouse tour. Neither tour includes a trip inside. All who had been inside in the past reported an unnerving eeriness as if someone was watching. Ghosts or ghouls, or more likely, the sheer knowledge of troubled lives perished in it would put anyone on edge. I walked around, snapped a few pictures, and picked in the front door window, which was not fully boarded up. The old-fashioned balustrade with carved stair spindles, painted white, looked homey, almost cottage-like, and entirely incongruous with the outside look of the jail or, in fact, the purpose of the building. Outside of the public records and some ghost-obsessed blogs, the building still remains a mystery to me, and for now, I have to be satisfied with munching on a scone and sipping a latte in a new modern café, occasionally gazing at the old, still formidable-looking but troubled neighbor.