Old Calaboose: Wetumpka's Historic Jail

The Old Calaboose, traditionally regarded as Wetumpka's first jail, offers a glimpse into the city's formative years [4, 7]. Constructed around 1820, shortly after Alabama joined the Union, it is one of Wetumpka's oldest surviving structures [3, 4, 6]. The calaboose is located on Orline Street, along the Coosa River, in a parking area behind the buildings on Bridge Street [3, 6, 9].This one-story rectangular brick building rests on a fieldstone foundation [3, 4, 6]. Its simple architecture features small, barred windows on three sides and a heavy wooden door on the eastern elevation [3, 4, 14]. The hipped roof completes its functional design [4].Wetumpka flourished in the early 19th century due to the booming cotton industry [4]. Harper's Weekly even declared Wetumpka and Chicago as the two most promising cities of the West [3, 4]. The Calaboose witnessed the city's rise and its near selection as the state capital [3, 7]. However, a devastating fire in 1845 destroyed much of the commercial district, thwarting Wetumpka's aspirations [3, 4, 7]. The Old Calaboose remarkably survived, along with the Farmer's Alliance Warehouse (now the Elmore County Museum) [4, 7]. Despite another major fire in 1852, Wetumpka rebuilt, but the capital moved to Montgomery [3, 4, 7].In 1992, the Old Calaboose was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the East Wetumpka Commercial Historic District [3, 4, 6]. Today, it stands as a poignant reminder of Wetumpka's resilience and its rich history [4, 7].