Calabooses and Jails have become popular tourist attractions much like the Judge Roy Bean museum in Langtry where he referred to himself as the “Law West of the Pecos.”  A number of towns in Texas have realized this and have either created replicas or are considering it.

From the beginning of this project, I considered building a calaboose, and it eventually happened. Everything I have done except the use of modern electric drills and saws has its counterpart somewhere in the real universe of calabooses that I have found.  The size (8′ x 10′) is consistent with several of the smaller ones.  The wooden cell wall is a copy of those in Lakeview and Plaska.  The tin roof is typical, and I was fortunate to get old tin that could easily be over 50 years old.  The door offset to the right is also found on several calabooses.  This usually means that the cell is to the left, and the opposite is true when the door is offset to the left. Calaboose windows vary greatly in size and placement.   The bars in the exterior door and windows are modern rebar.  The use of rebar was a common practice.  The front door is solid metal with a window that can be opened to look through bars into the interior and the door to the cell is also metal.

My Calaboose

The City of Frisco was forced to demolish the existing calaboose due to safety hazards. I give them credit for recognizing the importance of a replica as something that can be used to teach others what it was like to have been locked up in a calaboose in their town.  This structure is located on the grounds of the Frisco Heritage Museum at 6455 Page Road in Frisco, Texas.  They can be contacted at (972) 292-5665.

Replica of Frisco Calaboose

Pecos, Texas is the county seat of Pecos County.  In the downtown area is a very nice park with some replicas of Old West buildings including the calaboose in this picture.  The town also as a very nice “West of the Pecos” museum and a “Memory Car Lane” museum.

Pecos, Texas