Wellborn

The location of this concrete calaboose was given to me by John Jahnke, who works at Chapman’s Paint in Bryan, Texas where I buy my supplies.  The date of its construction is not known but it was probably built sometime around 1911 when the railroad town of Wellborn was at its peak in terms of population and commerce.  At one time, it was directly behind a saloon.  It’s possible that this building is the only one remaining of the town during the period it was in use.   This building is privately owned and is in a pasture occupied by livestock.

This calaboose is unique in two ways.  First, the only window is the largest of any in my sample of over 100.  It spans most of the length of one wall and measures 8′ 8″ x 2′ (17.6 square feet).  The frame and bars are flat metal and rebar.  Second, this is the only calaboose in my sample with rebar exposed in the ceiling.

This calaboose was created by pouring concrete into wooden forms that average 7.5″ in width.  The walls were strengthened using small pebbles as aggregate.  A segment of metal rebar was observed in the ceiling and it is assumed that this material was used in every section of poured concrete that created the roof and ceiling.  The dimensions of this calaboose are 12 feet by 12 feet (144 square feet).  The door is centered on the front wall and measures 33″ wide and 6′ 6″ high.  Unfortunately, the door is missing and it is not known if it was a solid metal door or one with bars. The metal frame that held it in place was not removed. One local informant believes it was sold for scrap.  At the time of my visit it was not being used for any particular purpose and the interior was littered with trash.  It has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41BZ177.