Santa Anna

This calaboose is located in downtown Santa Anna, Texas next to the old Fire Department at 610 Avenue B.  The fire department is in the southwest corner of the block bounded by West Second Street and Avenue B and it and the calaboose faces south.  The material used in its construction is concrete that was poured in place. The concrete was poured an aggregate of small pebbles and pieces of unidentified metal for strength. This mixture appears to not have been adequate because there are several places where erosion is seriously affecting the integrity of this calaboose.

This particular structure consists of one cell that is entered through a solid metal door.  The door opening is 4 feet by about 6.5 feet in size and there is a metal threshold beneath it. There are two windows, one on each side and they measure 17 inches by 26 inches and have round metal bars placed vertically and horizontally in a metal frame that is embedded in the concrete. The footprint of the jail was measured at about 16 feet across the front and 12 feet on each side (192 square feet).

One unusual feature of this particular calaboose is the door that opens in two pieces. The only other calabooses in this sample with similar door are those in Desdemona and Riesel. The floor of the structure is also concrete and no furnishings were observed on the inside.

Photo courtesy of Montie Guthrie

The date of construction of this calaboose is not known. The only Sanborn map available at the time of this study was published on August 1921 and it does not show a calaboose at this location or anywhere else in town. Therefore, the current calaboose was constructed sometime after 1921.

I talked with local historian Montie Guthrie and he shared his knowledge of the Santa Anna calaboose.  According to his research, Gary Patterson confessed that he may be the last person alive to have been locked up in this calaboose.

Mr. Guthrie uncovered a very interesting anecdote that I think is worth sharing.  Once, The nightwatchman at the time rounded up a bunch of pre-teens running around on Halloween and stuck them in the “clink.” They stayed there till they pulled the door open enough for the smallest to slip out and go get the nightwatchman, who had forgotten them, to let them out.

According to Mrs. Gladys Hunter in her book Historically Speaking, the building “was used as office for the City public scales for some time.”  She also notes that “during the 50s there was a curfew bell there…”  Mr. Patterson doesn’t remember a curfew during the 50s, but he remembers the bell.  Mrs. Hunter also states that Earl Irick, once a local Justice of the Peace, had an office in the building. 

I visited this jail as part of my Texas Jail Survey on October 24, 2014.  It has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41CN305.

Front of Calaboose