Desdemona Calaboose - Desdemona, TX
N 32° 16.159 W 098° 33.307
14S E 541899 N 3570374
The old Desdemona calaboose stands on a private lot at the corner of FM 8 and Eastland County Rd 501 in the heart of what was once a bustling downtown Desdemona, TX.
Waymark Code: WM12TAE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/12/2020
Views: 2
Desdemona is often referenced as a ghost town, but it still has a post office, active churches, and several businesses. However, it is certainly a shadow of its former self during the days of the oil booms. Its transition from agriculture to oil for its economy happened in 1918 when the Hog Creek Oil Company struck oil, and with the boom, there was activity, and with it, crime that led to the need for a jail.
While the calaboose is locked and on a private lot, the owners don't mind you looking; just don't be a dummy. After being vandalized, the Tiny Texas Jails website (see below) has returned to us, and the work upon which it's based is William E. Moore's "The Texas Calaboose and Other Forgotten Jails". It features nice color photographs and brief histories of many of Texas's surviving calabooses. Moore notes that this one was probably constructed after 1919, when a mob overturned its less-sturdy predecessor. Constructed from brick from the town of Thurber, itself now a ghost, this 111 square foot calaboose has an unusual two piece door that opens outward, and the only other ventilation is through a vent up high on the west elevation.
Address:
FM 8 & CR 501
Desdemona, TX USA
76445
Open to the public: Yes
Hours:
Daylight hours
Fees?:
None
Web link: [Web Link]
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