The Calaboose
San Marcos, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Constructed as the first Hays County Jail in 1873, this small brick structure was later an annex for black prisoners. Known locally as the "Calaboose," it became a neighborhood recreation center after the city of San Marcos acquired it in 1885. In the 1940s it was enlarged with a wooden addition and served as a U.S.O. center for black World War II servicemen. In later years, the Calaboose again became a community recreation center. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1990
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1873 as Hays County's first jail, this sturdy little brick lockup earned the folk name "Calaboose," from the Spanish calabozo. Its history traces the arc of segregation in Central Texas: an annex for Black prisoners, then a neighborhood recreation center, and during World War II a U.S.O. hospitality center for Black servicemen barred from whites-only facilities. In later years it returned to community use.
Why it matters
Few buildings hold so much of the African American experience in one small footprint — from Reconstruction-era incarceration to the segregated war effort that Black soldiers served in nonetheless.
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Related events
- · World War II
Themes & tags
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