Bowie
The earliest Sanborn fire insurance map for Bowie, Texas is dated February 1885 (Sheet 1). It depicts a small one-story wood calaboose in Bowie, Texas in city block 11. This block was divided by two alleys and the calaboose was in the northeast corner of the southwest quadrant of the block that was bordered by Wise Street on the north, Smythe Street on the west, and Montague Street on the south.
Bowie 1885
In 1891 (Sheet 2) there was a one-story wood calaboose in city block 6 (city lot 17) behind a large brick two-story buiding tin the 500 block of Mason Street that was under construction at the time.
Bowie 1891
In 1896 (Sheet 2), there was a wood calaboose in city block 11. It was in an alley in the approximate center of the block. In 1902 (Sheet 4), the calaboose is still in the same location but this time it is described as “iron clad.”
Bowie 1896
In 1908 (Sheet 2), there was a one-story iron clad calaboose in city block 12. It was in the northeast corner of the northwest quadrant at 408 Cummings Street. The last map available for Bowie, Texas was published in April 1922. No jail or calaboose is depicted on any of the eight sheets for that year. According to Martha Smith at the Bowie Public Library, there are no jails in Bowie at this time.
Bowie 1908
Nocona
The Sanborn map dated 1924 (Sheet 3) depicts a jail in the southwest corner of the southwest quadrant of city block 15. It shared the lot (not numbered) with the city water works and was next to the city office. The address was 121 East North Front Street. It was no longer in that location in 1949. The key to the maps for that year say it is on Sheet 3 but I did not find it. It may be an unmarked building in the same lot but larger. It is not depicted on the 1914 map.
Saint Jo
The Sanborn map dated 1908 (Sheet 1) depicts a wood calaboose in Saint Jo, Texas between Broad and Main streets (city block 3) behind the public square. The 1902 and 1914 maps do not show this area and there were no later maps available at the time of this study. Eddie Yetter is a local historian and he said that the wooden calaboose was gone by the 1920s and there have been no other jails in town. There is a metal cage that may be put on display in the city park but it was from the two-story county jail in Montaque.
Saint Jo 1908