Abilene

The 1885 Sanborn map (Sheet 1) depicts a small one-story wood calaboose in Abilene, Texas.  It was located in the public square (block 31) at 322 Pecan Street. In 1891 (Sheet 4) and 1896 (Sheet 5),  it was in the southeast corner of the courthouse square (moved or rebuilt) and next to a one-story wood county jail. In 1902 (Sheet 2), the wood calaboose was gone and replaced by a wood lockup on the east side of Pecan Street (block 32).  It was next to a three-story stone county jail (Sheet 5).  In 1908 (Sheet 17), the lockup was referred to as a “coal house.”  All signs of a wooden calaboose or lockup are gone by 1915 (Sheet 15) and the county jail was the main fixture in town.

 Abilene 1885

Abilene 1891

Abilene 1902

Merkel

The Sanborn map dated 1908 (Sheet 2) depicts a one-story wood calaboose in the town of Merkel, Texas. At the time it was located in city block 21 facing an alley and behind a row of commercial buildings in the 200 block of North Front Street.  The last Sanborn map published for Merkel is dated November 1914.   In November of that year the calaboose was gone from block 21 but a small one-story wooden building described as a jail house was present next to the city pumping station on the corner of Elm and Taylor streets in city block 17 (Sheet 3).  The jail house could still be present.

Merkel 1908

Merkel 1914