By Sahar Chmais
The Calaboose African American History Museum will open in its renovated form on Juneteenth – a perfect opportunity to celebrate, said Brent Salone, Calaboose Vice President and Facility Trustee.
Juneteenth, or June 19, was the day slaves in Texas were finally told by a union general who rode into Galveston to notify them that they were free. Their freedom was announced in 1865, 1.5 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Calaboose, Hays County’s first jail, was built in 1873 and housed all Hays County inmates, including male and female. Then in 1943, the Calaboose was extended to create a USO dance hall for black soldiers. The Calaboose did not last as a jail. In 1954, the Calaboose was transformed into a community center for Dunbar area residents in San Marcos.
This building has been the center of change as Hays County’s Black residents watched the history unfold since the beginning of their freedom. More than 100 years after its creation, this historical site became a museum in 1990. Inside the museum, residents can look at displays of special exhibits about the Buffalo Soldiers, Tuskegee Airmen, WWII Military, Civil Rights, Ku Klux Klan and the San Marcos area history.
$2>Although the Calaboose will not undergo another change, it has undergone a revamping which was done during its shutdown caused by COVID-19.
The museum will have a renovated exterior, an upgraded air system for a safer post-COVID environment and a termite remediation. Calaboose will be open on a routine basis at least one day a week and will be open daily by appointment, for groups fewer than 20.
Not only is the museum physically expanding, it is also expanding its services. Its leadership will be providing more research resources and providing online classes for mental health and nutrition. The museum staff will also add a meeting space so the board can organize exhibits and work on more material. When the museum reopens, they will have exclusive material on the Tulsa Massacre, Salone said.
During the grand reopening, Caboose will also inoculate residents interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine. It will be provided by the University of Texas pharmaceutical division. Since vaccines were not available to a lot of people in the neighborhood but were made available to Calaboose, Salone said he wanted to open the opportunity to the public. He emphasized that the vaccine is free of charge.
“The more [vaccine sites] the better,” Salone said. “If you have a greater opportunity, there is a higher probability. A lot of parents work during the week. They can get their shots now and not have to worry about it. They just have to return on July 10.”
