The Calaboose African American History Museum, located in San Marcos, Texas, stands as a testament to the rich and often overlooked history of African Americans in Central Texas. Once the first Hays County Jail, constructed in 1873, this unassuming building has evolved into a vital cultural center, preserving stories of resilience, community, and the ongoing fight for equality.
San Marcos, TX
From Jail to Community Hub
Originally constructed as a county jail in 1873, the city of San Marcos acquired this building in 1885 and turned it into a community recreation center after the county built a stone replacement jail. The Calaboose (from the Spanish word meaning dungeon or local jail), as it came to be called, was enlarged in the 1940s and used as a World War II United Service Organization (USO) center for African American servicemen at a time when segregation kept black and Anglo soldiers from mingling.
In 1943, a United Service Organization dance hall was added to the jailhouse for black soldiers because during this time segregation was strictly enforced in the south.
Local African American historian Johnnie Armstead fought to preserve the site.
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In May of 1997, the San Marcos City Council approved a resolution to designate the building for use as a history museum.
The Calaboose became the incarceration spot for black prisoners when the second Hays County jail was built in 1884.
Mrs. Johnnie M. Armstead rescued the building from the wrecker’s ball and helped raise funds for its renovation under the direction of architect Jeffrey H. Kester.
The Vision of Johnnie Armstead
Johnnie Armstead, founder of the museum, created Calaboose to bring the African American community together and to educate community members about the history of San Marcos. She led the renovations in 1990 to convert the old jailhouse and dance floor into a museum.
Located in Hays County’s first jail constructed in 1873, the Calaboose African American History Museum (CAAHM) was organized in 1997 by Mrs. Johnnie Armstead.
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“I do it because I knew Ms. Armstead very well,” Holt said.
Ramika Adams, treasurer for the board, said she is proud to be part of preserving history in San Marcos and had been looking for a chance to make change within her community.
Jerrilyn Roberson, therapeutic recreation senior, president of Black Student Alliance and board member at the museum, had the opportunity to volunteer at the museum when it held a fundraiser to celebrate its 20th anniversary on Feb.
Calaboose African-American History Museum
Exhibits and Artifacts
The museum houses artifacts such as washboards, processed and unprocessed cotton, slave workday attire and even a Ku Klux Klan member’s hooded robe. But the most haunting was the anonymous donation of a Ku Klux Klan robe from the San Marcos Klan No. 124 and the article reporting a Klan gathering with 20,000 estimated to be in attendance.
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Exhibits included a picture of teachers in the “colored department” of the Southwest Texas Teachers Institute, World War II uniforms, and photographs of members of the African-American community throughout the years.
The museum’s permanent collection contains more than 500 items, including photographs, letters, books, textiles, drawings, and other artifacts.
The first part of the tour starts where the original jail was and displays Buffalo Soldiers, Tuskegee Airmen artifacts and newspaper articles about the military men.
A tour of the museum takes about an hour and a half and allows attendees to visit both parts of the museum.
A Community Connection
Located in the heart of San Marcos, just beyond the southwest point of the old town square, the Calaboose is now home to Central Texas’ only African-American museum.
It is filled with exhibits about local members of the community.
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Diana welcomed us as we entered the Calaboose and as she introduced us to the museum. Diana teaches first grade here in San Marcos and it turned out that we share of love of children’s books. The Calaboose has a collection of children’s books which includes one of my favorites, Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey with Gwen Strauss. Diana was so welcoming to us and walked us through the museum, showing us the incredibly small space that was the original building used to house prisoners. This is now the entry area and is used to house a rotating art gallery currently showing some truly lovely works by Texas State students.
Not only did she welcome us to the Museum, she told me about the Cinema Club, a group that brings movies to San Marcos that might not be shown here otherwise. She also explained about the MLK Day parade to be held on Monday and the annual fundraiser for the Calaboose.
Set in the old Dunbar neighborhood, San Marcos’ main African-American community, the modest Calaboose will hopefully soon see its new role as cornerstone of a larger museum complex and park, which will serve to not only reveal and establish so much previously overlooked history, but also to illustrate the importance of taking history seriously as it happens, before it disappears.
“Renovation” is a bit of an understatement, actually, as longtime Calaboose Director Johnnie Armstead, with the help of museum board members like Richard Gachot, is proposing vast expansions involving the acquisition of local, historically significant property. Some acquisitions include the restoration of the home of Ulysses Cephas, the African-American blacksmith whose masterful metal work not only impressed members of the local KKK, but also lead some of them to justice. Cephas could (and did indeed) identify horseshoe prints in the way modern-day detectives use fingerprints or DNA.
Visiting the Museum
It would be easy to miss the Calaboose African-American History Museum if you didn’t know to look for it. It’s a wee, unassuming building that, at its dawn in the 1870s, was home to the first Hays County Jail.
Admission to the museum is free.
Currently closed for renovations.
Address: Calaboose African-American History Museum, 200 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone: 512/393-8421
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Original Use | Hays County Jail (1873) |
| Later Use | Community Recreation Center, USO Center for African American Servicemen |
| Museum Founder | Johnnie Armstead |
| Collection Size | Over 500 items |
| Location | 200 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666 |
| Admission | Free |
