Sealy
This calaboose is in Sealy, Texas and is owned by the Sealy Area Historical Society. It was donated to the society by the Cletus Brown Family of Brookshire, Texas in 1991. It was moved to its current resting place (Santa Fe Museum Park at 211 East Main) where it can be protected and enjoyed by others. The first one was built in 1884 but it burned after only a few years of use.
The current one was built in 1887 as a replacement and some of the original boards were salvaged and used in the construction. It is depicted on the Sanborn map (Sheet 3) at 215 Front Street. This calaboose is 140 square feet in size and consists of two rooms. This is the same basic floor plan as the one in Wallis. just inside the door is an open room that was used by law enforcement and it probably had a desk and other pieces of furniture. The cell is behind a wooden wall and measures 71 square feet. The boards in the front room are planks that were measured at 1 x 12 inches. It is made of wood with the exterior boards attached in a vertical pattern over boards placed horizontally for extra strength. The floor is wood. In the front room the wooden planks are exposed. In the cell the floor was covered with a layer of thin sheet metal and their is a metal ring in the center of the floor that could have been used to shackle prisoners. The metal also covered the walls to a point just below the ceiling. It was attached to the walls with massive metal bolts. There are four windows. The two in the front room are the largest (15.5″ x 2.5″) and the two in the cell are very high up on the wall and are much smaller (5.5″ x 18″). To the right of the door that separates the front room from the cell there is a small window (5.5″ x 17.5″) that allowed law enforcement to look into the cell. The front door is not original. It measures 28.5″ x 75″. The interior door to the cell measures the same. It was secured by a massive metal latch and was constructed of four layers of boards that make it extremely strong. Wooden calabooses were common but only a few have been documented during this study with walls to the cells made of wood. Other examples are Wallis, Lakeview, and Plaska. The exact span of time that this calaboose was used is not known as this time.
An article in the Brenham Evening Press (Vol. 16, No. 110, Ed. 1) dated September 29, 1909 reported that on the 28th, Officer L. Whitfield arrested a Mexican national for causing damage on the northbound Missouri, Kansas and Texas passenger train. On their way to the calaboose, the Mexican drew a knife and cut the officer whereupon Whitfield shot and killed the Mexican.
The next jail was built in 1928 when a larger jail was needed. Therefore, this calaboose could have served as a lockup from 1887 until 1928. I was unable to find it on the 1925 Sanborn map corrected for 1935. Rhonda K. Holley was with me when I visited this calaboose on March 19, 2015. This calaboose conforms to Floor Plan 1b (see Floor Plans). Nancy Narron is a member of the Sealy Area Historical Society. She accompanied us to the calaboose and unlocked the door. This structure has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41AU100.
Interior View taken from the front room
(provided courtesy of Nancy Narron)
Wallis
Donnie Marek is a resident of Wallis, TX and he has conducted a considerable amount of research regarding this calaboose. Much of the information below was used with his permission. He visited the Austin County courthouse and found the following quote:
“Commissioner’s Court voted on August 12, 1908 to build a calaboose made of solid steel with only 1 cell. ” Austin County Courthouse Records Book M, Page 90.
This calaboose was originally located near the Wallis gin on Southern Pacific property off Guyler Street. The Constable at the time was Joe Recnicek and he had metal skids attached to the bottom so it could be moved to a more desirable part of town where it could be in the shade and not be as uncomfortable for the prisoners. This move took place in the 1950s and the location was Guyler and North 2nd Street. This calaboose was used as a jail until the late 1950s . Eventually, the city decided that it is an important part of the town’s history and it was moved again around 2000. This time it was taken to the site of a water treatment plant and city hall pending its restoration and future home.
This calaboose is made of wood and covered with sheet metal. Until the city decided to paint it, Mr. Marek described it as a very rusty building. The exterior walls consist of 2″ x 4″ framing covered with milled boards placed vertically. The wall between the two rooms was made using 2″ x 4″ boards that were also placed vertically. There is a small space between each board that is wide enough for this wall to resemble metal bars. There was a massive metal door that was placed in this wall. This door is unusual in that the frame is made of wood. It has been removed and is now in the back room. It is 31 ” x 7 ‘ in size. Above it is a small window with bars that measure 31″ x 6.5″.
This calaboose measures at 10′ 4″ across the front and back an 16′ 4″ on the sides (170.56 square feet). The door is 29″ x 18″. It is divided into two rooms that are approximately the same size. The entrance is unusual in that the door is not centered. The front room or entry area was space used by the Constable . There is a small “peep hole” in the door that could have been used to identify persons before letting them inside. There is a window on each side of the front room. The back room was the cell. Light and ventilation was provided by two very small windows on the side walls. There were two folding metal beds on the right wall and no other furniture. In the center of the floor is a heavy metal ring that could have been used to shackle the most unruly prisoners.
The city has modified the building and it was used as an office and storage for several years. In the front room, paneling was added and the building was wired for electricity. According to Mr. Marek, it was popular to shoot at the jail when driving by and the dents in the walls were caused by bullets. The city is considering applying for a historical marker from the Texas Historical Commission. This calaboose conforms to Floor Plan 1b (see Floor Plans). This structure has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41AU102. We are grateful to D. J. Sommers at City Hall for providing access to this structure.