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Kent County Jail
is still almost completely intact, 112 years after it was built.
Photo courtesy Noel
Kerns, September 2007 |
Clairmont
Jail
by Mike
Cox ("Texas Tales" column)
A noted outlaw, the story goes, lies on his death bed mortally wounded
by a Texas Ranger's well-placed .45 slug.
"Tell me who you rode with and where I can find 'em," the state lawman
orders the dying badman.
"Can you keep a secret?" the pale felon whispers, barely able to talk.
"You bet your boots I can," the Ranger replies.
"So can I," the outlaw says shortly before dying with his boots on.
And so does the graffiti-covered old jail in what little is left of
the West Texas community of Clairemont,
once the seat of Kent County... Read
full article |
"The old
Kent
County courthouse is of red sandstone and used to have two stories.
The jail is on the right side across the street, about 500 feet from
the courthouse."
-Barclay
Gibson, June 2005 |
Photographer's
Note:
On the subject of strap-iron jails (I don't know what to call them
but "strap-iron"), you mentioned that Indianola
built a building around their cell. The old Kent County cell at Clairemont
is actually a strap-iron cell about 12x12 feet by about 7 feet high
inside the red sandstone building. Obviously, the jail was either
built inside the building or the building was built around the cell.
Probably the latter. This cell used to be open but the door has now
been welded shut. - Barclay
Gibson, June 29, 2005 |
Inside
the old strap-iron cellblock of the Kent County Jail in Clairemont.
Photo courtesy Noel
Kerns, September 2007 |
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Photographer's
Note:
"The jailhouse was pretty interesting. From what I could see,
there were five to six cells in the building. There are four cells
built into the walls, each being at one of the four corners. They
were pretty bare inside, each just having a bed frame, a window and
a cell door. In the center of the jail was a large cage type cell,
made entirely of riveted metal slats. I think it had multiple doors,
but I'm not totally sure about that. The cage in the center was probably
seven feet tall. When I peeked into one of the rear windows, I was
really looking across the top of the cage and it was difficult to
make out the internal details.
When I was reading up on the net about the jail, I did find something
humorous, for a whole $15.18 you can have your very own HO scale replica
of the Jail at http://www.internettrains.com/308-110.html. I wonder
how many HO scale Kent county dioramas are out there, and if there
are any, does the train bypass Clairemont
there also?" - Erik Whetstone, June 03, 2004
Book Hotel Here › Lubbock
Hotels |
Forum:
Subject: Clairemont, Texas and the County Jail
No story about Clairemont would
be complete without mentioning the County Jail that still stands (2006).
It was probably one of the first jails that allowed the jailers to
unlock or lock several cells at once from a single mechanical lever.
During the 1960's my family use to go to Clairemont
to have a picnic so we could play in the old jail. There was also
a fire engine in a building beside the jail that was used by the county
to fight grass fires. We lived 38 miles away in Snyder.
Of course Ma Hart ran the store up until the late 1980's or early
1990's. The store served as a place for the oil workers, ranchers
and occasional tourist to stop and have a cold Coke and buy gas. She
was a sweet lady, that always met you with a smile. The store also
served as a bus stop for a short while. - Richard Chambers, Snyder,
Texas, June 11, 2006
To share history or photos of Clairemont, Texas - please contact
us. |
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