First Callahan Jail.
N 32° 23.734 W 099° 23.692
14S E 462863 N 3584350
Texas Historical Marker at the first Callahan County jailhouse from Belle Plaine, providing a little sound byte for this old prison that now enjoys its retirement here on W 5th St, in view of the Callahan County Courthouse.
Waymark Code: WM123NE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2020
Views: 2
There's some background about this old jail in Ed Blackburn, Jr.'s "Wanted: Historic County Jails of Texas". Callahan County was created in 1858 and organized in 1877, with Belle Plaine as the second county seat when operations were switched from Callahan, now a ghost town. As happened back in the day, the railroad ultimately bypassed Belle Plaine, and the county seat came here to Baird in 1883. Belle Plaine is also now a ghost town. Blackburn notes that construction of this jail began in January of 1880, not the 1878 from the historical marker.
Between 1877 and 1880, prisoners were carted thirty miles north of here to Albany in Shackelford County. The final product measures 28' by 30', with a sheriff's quarters on the first floor and the cells on the second: Note the lack of bars on the first floor. The stones are 20" thick, from a local quarry, with 8" cannonballs inserted between the stones to thwart escape attempts!
As the marker mentions, citizens agreed to relocate the jail from Belle Plaine here to Baird after the county seat shifted, as a move was more "cost-effective" than leaving behind an empty building and constructing a new one. J.H. Milliken and Company were paid $2000 to dismantle the jail, haul it over ten miles on wagons, and then reassemble it. The move paid off, as this jail was used until 1898, when a larger facility was required. The building appears vacant but is well-maintained, and Blackburn notes that the Boy Scouts have used it for meetings in the past.
Marker Number: 1694
Marker Text:
Built 1878, Belle Plaine. Baird citizens paid bill for removal here, 1883, after election contest.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
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