John Brooks has been working with me to save the calaboose in Burlington.  Today, he and his wife were having dinner in Walburg (Williamson County) when they saw a suspicious structure.  I think it is very likely that it was a calaboose but I can’t say for sure right now.  I urge anyone who finds a similar building to let me know.  For now, this building will be added to the website as a suspicious structure.

I am making plans for my next calaboose trip.  I saw a rather vague picture of a jail in Sabinal and when I went to images for that town I saw this one.  The problem is that “Images” often has pictures not related to the subject one is looking for.  However, because this jail photo was fairly close to the beginning of the images page I think it may be correct.  Looking forward to seeing it.

 

I periodically check the website “Red River Historian” to look for calabooses as well as lots of interesting pictures and stories.  This is a very well done site and one I highly recommend.  Just now, I saw a new one that is in Washington, OK.  I really want to add it to my calabooses from other states because it is most unusual, especially the window.

Last Thursday, I was in San Angelo to give a talk to the Concho Valley Archeological Society about my calaboose project.  It went well and I was told that there may be a calaboose in Garden City, Texas.  I took a different route home and found three new calabooses in Miles, Rowena, and Santa Anna.  This was totally unexpected but a great end to the trip.

Miles, Texas

Rowena, Texas

 

Santa Anna, Texas

 

I will be posting a list of the Sanborn maps I looked at during this project.  I already had a list and while proofing it I discovered it was grossly incomplete.  Two explanations.  (1) I just neglected to add maps as I looked at them or (2) I did not look at maps for county seats because at the beginning of this project I thought a calaboose would only be found in a small town.

Today, I talked with Larry Riemenschneider who told me about a calaboose in Weesatche, Texas (Goliad County).  Soon I hope to have information about it posted.

During my research I have found lots of towns where a calaboose was once present.  Under the tab “Vanished” these towns are arranged according to county.  Now, with the help of Kelsey Preuett, I am adding that part of the Sanborn map where the calaboose is located to each town.

Recently, I wrote a short report on the various calabooses in Burleson County.  I have received several comments and today were two that I found to be particularly interesting and informative.  I had checked the Sanborn maps for Bryan, Texas and did not find a calaboose.  I had heard rumors of a possible one in the downtown area but that is all I had to go on.  One of the informants provided me with a Sanborn map showing a calaboose and a copy of an article in the Bryan Eagle that mentions it.   I will check this out next week.  The other piece of news involves the tiny ghost town of Merle about two miles from Snook, also in Burleson County.  I had been told about a jail there and when I went to see it I focused on a wooden building with bars on the windows.  It did not look like a jail and I later learned that it had been a grocery store and as a place for other functions such as voting.  I was given the name of the landowner and when I called him he said that the small building between his house and the store was the jail.  It is in poor condition and he plans to tear it down and salvage the wood.  He promised not to do this until I can come and document it.

I was told about an unusual find in Lockhart recently.  A metal cell or cage was dug up on private property.  At first, I wondered how and why such a heavy object would be buried.  Now, I have learned that it may have been put there (below ground) on purpose as a place for punishing slaves.  The strap iron bars were at the top and offenders would have been lowered down into it.  At this time, this is only conjecture but I am investigating the possibility.  All new information and pictures will be under the banner Cages and Cells – Caldwell County.

 

Cage after being brought up from beneath the ground

Excavation of cage.

 

I tend to read my writings over and over again even after they are supposedly finished.  The article that I wrote about the calabooses of Burleson County, Texas is being revised.  I found some typos I missed earlier and I am adding more pictures.  This will be a better version.