Stockdale
This calaboose is located on a city block belonging to the City of Stockdale, Texas in Wilson County. It is at the corner of South Third and West Person streets next to a large building used for economic development and the city water tower. There is no physical address for the adjacent building or this calaboose. The date it was built is not known, but it is likely that construction took place shortly after the town incorporated in 1919. It is made of reinforced concrete using the poured in place method. The boards used to create the forms for the walls varied in size from 16 to 18 centimeters. It is 2.73 meters across the front and the sides are 2.45 meters (72 square feet). There is only one window and it is on the back wall. It measures 50 x 70 centimeters and has six horizontally placed round metal bars inserted into a wooden window frame. The only source of light and ventilation is the opening in the door and the lone window. The interior consists of one open room that is being used for storage.
Window Detail – Looking from Back to Front
Due to standing water, the door could not be measured. The exterior was covered with plaster, but it has eroded or weathered in places exposing the horizontal lines created by the wooden forms. The roof is unique in that it has evenly spaced areas at the top of all four walls that extend above it creating a castle-like appearance.
Back of Calaboose
Side of Calaboose
There were no Sanborn maps at the agencies visited for Stockdale, Texas at the time of this study. This structure conforms to Floor Plan 1a (see Floor Plans). It has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41WN122.
Since my original visit on August 15, 2013, the city has applied a fresh coat of plaster and painted the door.
