Texas Standard listener and museum manager White Siafu shares information about the Calaboose African American History Museum in San Marcos for the Standard’s Texas Museum Map series:
The Calaboose Museum serves as a home for African American history and culture in San Marcos and Hays County, Texas. Through preservation, events and education, the museum strives to serve as not only an African American History museum but a center of support for the San Marcos community.
The Calaboose Museum maintains two exhibit spaces located on the site of the original Hays County Jail built in 1873. Gallery A is in the small brick portion of the museum, which the City of San Marcos built after the 1912 demolition of the original jail.
The space designated as Gallery B is located in the 1943 renovation, which was built to serve as the Negro USO for WWII soldiers stationed at the Army Airfield in San Marcos.
Both galleries house a collection of artifacts that highlight the culture, legacy, accomplishments and contributions of African Americans in San Marcos and throughout Hays County.
Address: 200 Martin Luther King Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666
Hours: Mon-Sat, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or by appointment
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