Bedias

This calaboose is located in Grimes County.  It is on the corner of the 22100 block of West Street and the 3600 block of Main Street in Bedias, Texas on a lot owned by the Bedias Civics Club.   It was originally located across the street between the current post office and State Highway 90.  The exact date of the construction of this jail is not known, and I was unable to find a Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for the town of Bedias. According to Mackie Bobo (Mayor of Bedias), this jail was built in the 1920s and used until the 1950s after which time it was moved two blocks away to a site owned by the Williams family.   They needed a barn and they added on to it and it remained hidden and forgotten until Mike and Mackie Bobo purchased the property.  When they demolished the barn they were surprised to find the old Bedias jail inside.  The Bobo family recognized its historical significance and donated it to the Bedias Civics Club who is charged with the responsibility of maintaining it for prosperity. McAdoo Plaster was the father of Mackie Bobo, and he said that this jail was used mainly as a place to lock up drunks on Saturday night.  This task was carried out by the local Constable or Sheriff.   The front of the jail faces west.  It is made of wood, and the roof is covered with tin over a thick wooden ceiling.  It measures 2.51 meters across the front and 3.11 meters on each side.  The distance from the ground to the top of the walls is 2.22 meters.  The door is wooden and measures 89 cm by 1.90 meters.  There are three windows.  The window on the front is small (27 cm x 34 cm) and has two round metal bars.  The other two windows are on the north and south sides and measure 21 cm x 61 cm.  They have 7 bars.

Window on the South Side

Two bars are missing from the window on the north side.  The floor is also wood.  There is a bed inside but it is not original to the jail.  There were no Sanborn maps at the agencies visited for Bedias, Texas. This structure conforms to Floor Plan 1a (see Floor Plans). This calaboose was recorded at TARL as historic site 41GM459.

Floor Plan for Bedias Calaboose

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