Jayton

Front of Jail

I visited this interesting jail on September 16, 2015.  It is too large to be a calaboose.

I drove through town to look around and was told by a spokesperson at the Sheriff’s office that there is an old jail behind the courthouse. These finds are special because they are unexpected.  Jayton, Texas is the county seat of Kent County.  The town was originally two miles northeast of its prevention location and it was known as Jay Flat after a local ranching family.  In 1907 the townsite was moved to its present location for improved proximity to rail service and it was officially renamed Jayton later that same year. The city incorporated in 1910. In 1954, it became the county seat because the previous county seat (Clairemont) was declining in population and is now a virtual ghost town.

The building was locked.  Therefore, all discussion of the interior is based on my limited view through the windows.  The exterior of this jail measures 25 ft. across the front and approximately 34 ft. on the sides (850 sq. ft.).  The front room served as an office for law enforcement and is today used for storage.  The door and windows may be modern replacements and the concrete porch and sidewalk are probably also later additions.  The windows were not measured because they are not part of the actual jail.  The cells have two small windows on the exterior wall that measure 21in. x 36 in.  The bars are a criss-cross pattern of flat iron metal.  This jail is made of what appears to be local rock and the craftsmanship is excellent.  One unusual feature of this structure is the height of the walls on the sides above the roof.  I assume this was done to make the building more architecturally interesting.  I have only seen this treatment in three calabooses.  Chillicothe (Hardeman County), Hearne (Robertson County), and  Hubbard City (Hill County).  The one in Hearne is the most pronounced of the three and most closely resembles the Jayton jail.  Most of the small calabooses were built by people not interested in aesthetics.

There are two cells behind the front room that are entered through a metal wall and two massive doors.  The view below shows part of the metal cage in one cell through the one open door. Both doors have openings that allowed law enforcement to look into the cells without opening the doors.  The opening on the left is very elaborate and allowed officers to look inside at several angles.  I have seen this type of viewing area at only one calaboose to date.  That one is in Caldwell (county seat of Burleson County). This calaboose conforms to Floor Plan 2c (see Floor Plans).When it was built and how long it was used as a jail is not known.  It is currently owned by the city of Jayton.  This structure has been recorded at TARL as historic site 41KT173.

Back of Jail

Detail of Window

Interior showing doors to cells