Grapeland
This calaboose is located in the northwest corner of South Main and West Chestnut streets across from a row of businesses in downtown Grapeland, Texas. On Page 4 of Crossroads to Progress II: “Grapeland” – Queen City of the Sand Flats 1872-1987, privately published by the Grapeland Community Council in 1969, there is an undated photo of the jail that shows it in what appears to be the same location as it stands today. The history states that this jail was built by private subscription during the first incorporation of the town in 1906.
A personal interview with Jayne Stuart revealed that the original location of the jail was across the railroad tracks from where it is now and near the home of Catherine Howard who was a long time resident of Grapeland. 2 Mrs. Howard recalled seeing recalled seeing young boys on bicycles stopping by the jail where they talk to the prisoners through the windows. Sometimes the boys were given money to go and buy cigarettes for the prisoners. Sometime during the 1930s, the jail was no longer being used and it became the property of Mrs. Howard. It was placed in her back yard and used as a chicken coop.
This interesting jail is divided into two parts or cells with doors at the north and south ends of the structure. The exterior covering is vertical board and batten over horizontal boards, and the roof is wooden shingles. There are four windows, two on each side. The windows in the north cell contain ten round metal bars placed horizontally within the window opening. The windows in the south cell have wooden shutters and fewer bars. New lumber was observed on the inside of the north cell, evidence of repair and maintenance. The exterior, however, is in very poor condition. There are holes in the roof and some of the siding is missing. The door on the north end is missing, and only a portion of the door on the south end remains intact. The jail measures 2.47 meters across the front and 4.38 meters on each side (116.6 square feet). The distance from the ground to the top of the walls is 2.35 meters. The four windows are 54 x 100 cm, and the doors are 54 x 100 cm.
Floor Plan for Grapeland Calaboose
During the time of the Texas Sesquicentennial, the city obtained the calaboose and moved it to its current location. It was restored through the efforts of ____ as a reminder of law enforcement practices in the early years of the 20th century,
There were no Sanborn maps at the agencies visited for Grapeland, Texas at the time of this study. This calaboose conforms to Floor Plan 2e (see Floor Plans). It has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41HO285.