Mason

Darryl Pearson found this very interesting calaboose and shared these photos and other information with me.  This rock building is located at 104 West Schmidt Street in downtown Mason.  It is still in its original location.  The numbers 1857 have been etched into the wall and it is believed that this is the date it was built.

Date Carved on Wall

This structure is 255 square feet in size.  It is 15′ 2″ across the front and 17′ 2″ on the sides (255 square feet).  The height to the top of the rock walls is 7′ 6″.  A wooden roof was added later and its presence increases the height today to 16′ 4″.  There are two doors that must be opened before one can enter the actual calaboose.  The first door is solid steel and has a window that extends into the entry area.  There is __ feet of space between this door and the inner door that can be locked with a key from the outside.  These doors are 6′ 6″ tall and 30″ wide.

Outside Door (closed)

Outside Door (open)

Inside Door (open)

There are two windows,one on each side. They consist of metal bars mounted to a wooden frame.  These windows are 32″ wide and 45″ tall.

Window Detail

At the time of Mr. Pearson’s visit, this building was used for storage.  It conforms to Floor Plan 1a (see floor plans) .This jail has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41MS104.