Alba

Floyd Kent was in Alba recently and was told that there used to be a small calaboose in town but it had been moved to private property to be used as a storage building.  He plans to visit it soon and take pictures and measurements.

Mineola

Front View

This calaboose is located in downtown Mineola and is privately owned.  It was measured at 10′ across the front and 26′ on each side (260 square feet).  The room at the back was not measured.  The opening for the door is 43″ x 88″.

The age of this building is not known but if it served as a calaboose it would have been built in 1906 or later.  This statement is based on the fact that a prisoner died in a fire during an apparent attempt to escape the local calaboose.  According to the article in the Houston Post dated September 9, 1906 (Vol. 22), the fire destroyed the calaboose and an adjacent warehouse belonging to Chappell & Harpoon that was filled with hay, bran, and salt.

The facade of this this calaboose has been greatly altered to the point that it building bears little resemblance to a building that was used as a lockup for prisoners in the lawless days of Mineola. The door is missing and the area above the door that is now covered with wood is reported to have had metal bars at one time  Some of the original brick has been removed and replaced with concrete blocks.  The interior walls have been covered with plaster.

Northwest Corner

According to Floyd Kent, the brick used in the construction of this building is referred to as “Ginger Brick” that was made locally and bore no maker’s mark as is common with many other bricks. The wall on the east side still retains the brick exterior.  However, the brick in the upper portion is definitely different and it has been suggested that the building was raised at one time, perhaps to accomodate a different use for the old calaboose.

East Wall

The interior consists of one open room that appears to have been altered as well. It is possible that this calaboose was one large room with only the door at the front.  If that is the case, it would conform to Floor Plan 1a (see Floor Plans).  Another scenario is that it was built around a metal cage or cell.  Given the size of this room a cage with several cells would be very likely. Another room was added to the back and the reason for this expansion is not known at this time.

Interior View (Southwest Corner)

There is a circular imprint in the floor but its purpose is not known.  The floor was poured in two separate episodes.

Concrete Feature

This calaboose was preceded by one (probably wood) that burned in 1892.  The Mineola Monitor reports that on April 13, 1889, the City Council “raised a committee for the purpose of investigating the cost of making the calaboose door safe.”  This suggests to me that this is the same calaboose that burned in 1892 and the original door may have been made of wood.

I visited this calaboose on March 28, 2016 and I greatly appreciate the cooperation of the owner for allowing me to venture inside and the help given to me by Joyce Williams Alexander and Jayne Lankford.