Waxahachie

This interesting calaboose is located in downtown Waxahachie, Texas. Darryl Pearson visited it and shared his photos and other information.  This wooden calaboose consists of two cells with a door at each end.  The cells are separated by a wall and if there was a door it is no longer there.  No furniture was present. Graffiti is present on all four walls.  Mr. Pearson did not take measurements but he estimates the size of the building at 12 feet x 24 feet (288 square feet).  This building was the third in town. The previous two weres were present in 1876 and 1885.   The Waxahachie City Council Minutes of July 12, 1888 state that the city had purchased a lot “about eighty feet front on Jackson Street and extending back to the branch for $850.00.  At the same meeting, J. B. Meredith was awarded the contract to build a new calaboose at a cost of $490.00.  The walls and ceiling were built of horizontal 2″ x 6” boards stacked on top of one another for strength and security and exterior siding was added.  In 1898, the calaboose had been damaged by fire and was not labelled as a calaboose on the Sanborn map for that year.  By 1904, it was vacant and in 1914 it was used as a warehouse.  The city moved it from the Jackson Street location to the current site at singleton plaza facing south college street. If there was a door dividing the two cells it would conform to Floor Plan 2g (see Floor Plans).

Interior

Wall Construction

Window with Bars

Window with Shutter