
The Texas Calaboose and Other Forgotten Jails
Volume 29
William E. Moore(Author)
Texas A & M University Press
Will be published approx. on 30. December 2018
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-62349-715-6 (ISBN)
Description
A calaboose is, quite simply, a tiny jail. Designed to house prisoners only for a short time, a calaboose could be anything from an iron cage to a poured concrete blockhouse. Easily constructed and more affordable for small communities than a full-sized building, calabooses once dotted the rural landscape. Though a relic of a bygone era in law enforcement and no longer in use, many calabooses remain in communities throughout Texas, often hidden in plain sight.
In The Texas Calaboose and Other Forgotten Jails, William E. Moore has compiled the first guidebook to extant calabooses in Texas. He explores the history of the calaboose, including its construction, use, and eventual decline, but the heart of the book is in the alphabetically arranged photo tour of calabooses across the state. Each entry is accompanied by a vignette describing the unique features of the calaboose at hand, any infamous or otherwise memorable occupants, and the state of the calaboose at present. Most have been long abandoned, but because many remain on city or town property, some have been repurposed into storage buildings or even government offices.
In certain ways, these small jails encapsulate the history of outlying communities during a time of transition from the "Wild West" to the twentieth century. Some of the structures have been preserved and cared-for, but despite the stories they can tell, many more are endangered or have already been lost. This definitive guide to tiny Texas jails serves as a record of a unique and disappearing feature of our heritage.
In The Texas Calaboose and Other Forgotten Jails, William E. Moore has compiled the first guidebook to extant calabooses in Texas. He explores the history of the calaboose, including its construction, use, and eventual decline, but the heart of the book is in the alphabetically arranged photo tour of calabooses across the state. Each entry is accompanied by a vignette describing the unique features of the calaboose at hand, any infamous or otherwise memorable occupants, and the state of the calaboose at present. Most have been long abandoned, but because many remain on city or town property, some have been repurposed into storage buildings or even government offices.
In certain ways, these small jails encapsulate the history of outlying communities during a time of transition from the "Wild West" to the twentieth century. Some of the structures have been preserved and cared-for, but despite the stories they can tell, many more are endangered or have already been lost. This definitive guide to tiny Texas jails serves as a record of a unique and disappearing feature of our heritage.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
College Station
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
193 colour, 9 black & white photographs, 25 art, 2 maps, Table
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
658 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-62349-715-6 (9781623497156)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
William E. Moore is an archaeologist, a consultant, and the owner of Brazos Valley Research Associates in Bryan, Texas. He is the author of several books, including Bastrop County, 1691-1900, as well as articles in local and national magazines. He lives in Bryan.