Fayetteville
Fayetteville Courthouse
Randy Reynolds found this wonderful wooden calaboose inside the old courthouse in the local park in town. I have not visited it and have no information such as its age, etc. at this time. This is another fine example of a well-preserved wooden calaboose that will last a very long time because it is inside a building where it is protected from the weather. Some of the following information was obtained through a personal interview with Liz Cubage, Vice-President of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. 1 The calaboose is located inside the only example of a precinct courthouse in Texas with a four-sided Seth Thomas clock – and it still tells time. This wonderful Greek Revival structure was built in the 1880s and served Precinct 2 in Fayetteville. In 1887, it was constructed on the second floor. The cost, a meager $11.00 by today’s standards. It was made using milled lumber attached vertically to the frame. It has double walls that probably were designed for stability and security. A higher level of security was provided by a chain attached to the floor with leg irons to keep prisoners from being able to move about and they are still in the calaboose. This is also the only example in this book of exterior vertical boards over horizontal milled boards. The façade is different from any other calaboose in the current sample in that both windows are to the left of the doors. More typical, is the door placement in the center with the windows on the right and centered on the cells. Additional windows of the same size and design are on the sides as well. These windows are larger than average and that translates to better ventilation and natural light. The cells had wooden platforms to support mattresses for sleeping. There is nothing elaborate about this structure but it appears to be well made. The calaboose and courthouse as well as information about the town of Fayetteville can be found in an article by Wayne Stewart in Texas Farm & Home. 2
Two-story structures with a calaboose or cells on the second floor are commonly found on Sanborn fire insurance maps. Since my formal definition of a calaboose is a one-story building that stands alone, they are not included as calabooses. This courthouse is one of those except in this case it is still standing and this wooden jail anywhere else would qualify as a calaboose. Therefore, it is included here.
END NOTES
1 Telephone conversation with Liz Cubage of Fayetteville on February 16, 2017.
2 “Fayetteville: Home of the only precinct courthouse in state” in Texas Farm & Home, by Wayne Stewart, July 2014, pp. 16-19
Calaboose on Second Floor
Bed
Flatonia
This calaboose is located in the “Rail Park” on the corner of West South Main and South Ten streets next to the Southern Pacific railroad tracks in Flatonia, Texas. In an article in the LaGrange Journal entitled “Flatonia Happenings” dated February 13, 1890, the author states “The new calaboose is beginning to loom up and will soon be finished.” The February 27, 1890 issue of the La Grange Journal Declares that “The new hotel Jamison is finished and ready to receive boarders. In comparison with the old one, it looks quite inviting.” It was referred to as the “Hotel Jamison” because it was Mr. Jamison who was the Marshall at the time.
No calaboose is depicted on the August 1885 Sanborn Map (Sheet 1). There is a small one-story wood calaboose on the 1891 map (Sheet 2) that is believed to be the one standing today in the park. At the time, it was located in Lot 10, Block 49. City Hall and the Masonic Lodge were in the same block at 505 Market Avenue (Lot 19). It also appears on Sheet 2 of the 1896, 1901, and 1906 maps in the same location. In 1912, a wooden building is depicted on Sheet 5 in the same location but it is described as a Lockup.
According to the Minutes of the Flatonia City Council dated May 9, 1950, a petition with thirty signatures was presented to the City Commissioner asking that the jail be moved. They complained that it was a fire hazard, inmates disturbed the peace, it did not have proper sanitary facilities, and it was too far from the night watchman’s station. On June 13, 1950, the City Commissioners voted to move it to Block 51, Lot 18 in the City Addition. Unfortunately, there is no Sanborn map for that year to confirm the move. In 1922 (Sheet 2), there was a wooden building in that location that is not labeled as a calaboose or lockup. This could be an oversight by the mappers or it was no longer being used for its original purpose.
This calaboose is made of wood and is divided into two equal sized cells. The exterior is vertical board and batten. The dimensions are 5 meters across the front by 4.39 meters on the sides (236.2 square feet). The doors are quite narrow at 61 cm and tall at about 1.5 meters. There are two additional windows on the back wall that are identical to those on the front. All four windows measure 19 centimeters wide by 1.46 meters tall. The interior walls and floor are wooden planks, and the only nails observed are machine made. The iron bars and hasps on the doors appear to be hand wrought. There are two sets of bars in the windows. Those on the inside are flat and resemble “strap iron” while those on the outside are round and appear to be newer.
During the early days of the town, a Marshal or Night Watchman enforced law and order. According to the April 22, 1886 issue of the La Grange Journal, “Mr. Jamison took charge as marshal on last Thursday, and can be seen, accompanied by his deputies, Toad and Mingo, perambulating our streets.” This structure conforms to Floor Plan 2a (see Floor Plans). It has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41FY581.
Sandra Shannon is a historical architect who is currently working for the city of Flatonia. She sent me the pictures of the interior that I was not able to get because it was locked at the time of my visit. Of special interest to me is the graffiti.
Interior of Cell
Wall Between Cells
Example of Graffiti
La Grange
This calaboose (aka Hoosegow according to local informants) is located at 171 South Main in downtown LaGrange, Texas next to the 19th century jail that houses the Chamber of Commerce. In Ed Blackburn’s book entitled Wanted: Historic County Jails of Texas, published by Texas A&M University Press in 2006 (pages 117-119), he states that the first jail was probably a wooden structure that was constructed in 1838 and cost $460. He does not say where this jail was located, but it is implied that it was in La Grange. In 1854, a two-story brick jail was finished and ready for use. This lockup was remodeled in 1876 and continued to serve as the county jail until 1882. The new jail was made of local stone and located on the corner of West Main and South Crockett streets. In 1885, the Sanborn fire insurance map (Sheet 1) depicts a one-story brick calaboose at 626 Main Street on the same property as the 1882 stone county jail. It was still there in 1890 (Sheet 2), it was but not labeled as a calaboose and it appears to be vacant at the time. On the 1896, 1901, 1906 , 1912, and 1921 maps, it was still there as a vacant building. In 1906 (Sheet 3) and 1912 (Sheet 3), it appears to be attached to the wooden Fire Department building. Perhaps it was used for storage. The U.S. Census does not list any prisoners in the LaGrange calaboose as of January 1, 1910 (Hill 1918:294). Only three prisoners were committed in 1910 and all were Colored (Hill 1918:294). In 1921 (Sheet 3), it was still in the same location and this time labeled as a jail annex.
The current calaboose appears to be in the same location as the one depicted from 1885 to 1921. However, it was made from concrete and probably represents a calaboose that was constructed sometime after 1921. It measures 13 feet, 7 inches across the front and 12 feet on each side (164.40 square feet). The distance from the ground to the top of the walls is 9 feet, 6 inches. The door is 2 feet, 6 inches by 6 feet, 8 inches. The only window is on the east side and it measures 28 inches wide by 30 inches high. It contains 12 rows of vertical, round metal bars strengthened by three rows of horizontal, square metal bars, and this pattern creates four panels of bars. The door is massive and constructed with nine horizontal steel bars and eight panels of vertical bars. There is a small opening near the bottom of the door that allowed food and other items to be passed to the prisoners. There is a modern wooden door covering the steel door to keep the inside from getting wet when it rains. The ceiling is flat and there is a concrete beam that runs across the entire length of the jail from north to south. In the center is a light fixture, but it is not known if electricity was provided when the jail was built or added later. According to Catherine Poppe of the Fayette Electric Cooperative, Inc. (personal communication on February 3, 2014), the courthouse in La Grange had electricity as early as 1892 and by 1921, the entire town had service. This suggests that the light fixture in the calaboose may be original. There is a vent in the ceiling that may have been connected to a heater. Near the front of the building there is a metal pipe attached to the outside wall on the east side that extends through the roof. The purpose of this fixture is not known. The ceiling on the inside is flat but the roof is gabled. This suggests an attic, but there is no entry to this area unless it is covered by the tin on each side of the roof. This structure conforms to Floor Plan 1a (see Floor Plans). It has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41FY582.
