Historic Calaboose - Royse City, TX - Retired Prisons on Waymarking.com

As of January 2018, there are efforts to restore the old calaboose by addressing the low area where it sits, and a new walkway will display informational signs. Near the old jail, one can pick up a flyer to contribute to this effort, and it reads:

"Our Historic Calaboose was built between 1911 and 1921. It was used for less dangerous offenders and others who were taken to Dallas to be incarcerated. Unfortunately the Jail sits below surrounding terrain and is prone to flooding. It has been deteriorating for years and needs major repair work done before its total collapse. Repair requires the help of engineering experts and there are major costs involved with research and restoration. With your donation of a personalized brick, we can raise the funds needed to complete the necessary repairs and renovations."

The reason for the ten year gap between 1911 and 1921 is that those are the dates on the Sanford maps where the calaboose doesn't appear (1911) and where it first appears (1921). It replaced an older, wood calaboose, and was used most often for folks who had had a little too much to drink on the weekend. It was also a staging point for tougher criminals who were on their way to Dallas, Rockwall, or points elsewhere to face justice.

There are two cells in the calaboose, which takes up nearly 130 square feet. Each has its own entrance and two small barred windows. One of the original doors is still in place, while the other is made of rebar to simulate a cell door. The non-reinforced concrete was watered down with fillers, which has contributed to its poor condition, although a thin layer of stucco has aided its survival. Local stories indicate that thrill seekers would attach ropes or chains to the doors and then run them across the train tracks, securing them to something on the other side. When a train would pull out of the station, it would pop the doors and release the bad guys, which contributed to the calaboose's demise by about 1942.

There is a funny note accompanying a photo of the calaboose in Arcadia's Images of America entry for Royse City, by Sheri Stodghill Fowler. It indicates that Royse City certainly needed its own temporary jail facility before criminals could be taken to Rockwall, and an "old caboose" was fashioned into this cell. That is not the case, as our word, "calaboose", is from the Spanish "calabozo", which means "dungeon", and the building has nothing to do with a train car. Incidentally, our word "incarcerate" and the Spanish word, "cárcel", share the same root and involve imprisonment.

Address: 217 E Main St Royse City, TX USA 75189 Open to the public: Yes Hours: Daylight hours Fees?: No fees Web link: [Web Link]

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