Palo Pinto

Front of Cage

These two exceptional metal cages are located on the grounds of the Old Jail Museum in Palo Pinto, Texas located at 5th and Elm (21 miles west of Mineral Wells).  This cage was brought to the museum from Albany in Shackelford County where it was housed in a small structure.  The single exterior door opens into a small room where prisoners were allowed to wait until they were locked up or released.  The rest of the cage consists of one large cell that was opened and closed by a massive locking system that was operated from the outside.  In the cage is a metal bench that may have served for sleeping as well as sitting.  At this time, I am not aware of other jail furniture and there are no brackets on the walls to suggest attached bunks.  The only other floor plan similar to this one that I am aware of is in the county jail in Claremont, the former county seat of Kent County. Richard Buckner is a docent who works at the museum and he told me that it was used from 1880 until 1941.  It measures 10 ft. x 10 ft. (100 sq. ft.).  The holding cell is 7 ft. x 37 in.  (21 sq. ft.) and the rest of the jail is the main cell.

Holding Cell or Entry Room

Main Cell

Floor Plan

According to Richard Buckner, the small cage was used to transport prisoners to other facilities as well as the state prison in Huntsville.  The mode of transport was by wagon. Inside is a small bench for sitting and there is an opening in the door that allowed law enforcement to pass food and other items to the prisoner. The prisoner depicted here for scale is the author of this website.  This cage measures about 12 sq. ft. and it is just a little over 6 ft. tall.  The age and original location of this cage is not known to me at this time.

Cage Used for Transport

Front of Cage