Bobbie Young, left, and Lewis Palos, right, admires some of the pictures of the Old Wooden Block Jail Thursday afternoon during a dedication ceremony for the historical building held at The Palace Theatre.

According to the brochure given out at the door, in 1926, J.R. Ritchie (1860-1945), a local farmer, moved the vacated Old Wooden Block Jail from its original location to the Ritchie homestead. He preserved the jail by building a shed around it.

The event, held at The Palace Theatre, presented visitors and guests with pictures taken during the oil boom in Corsicana, Tucker Town, and the Powell area.

Dr. Tommy W. Stringer, Vice President at Navarro College, presented the historical significance of the Old Wooden Block Jail during his speech at the beginning of the program.

“I do commend those of you who are involved in keeping the history alive,” Stringer said. “During the oil boom the population of Corsicana nearly doubled, and of course, some of those people that were coming in were somewhat less desirable individuals.”

Stringer continued to talk about the success of the oil fields around Corsicana before moving on to the subject of the old jail that was located at the north end of the Powell Oil Field.

“The wooden structure has two distinct rooms,” said Stringer. “One room was used to hold 5-6 criminals, while the other side was used to hold valuables used in the fields. Two brothers, Fitzgerald “Fitz” and T.N. “Tom” Kenner, had attracted the attention of the oil companies and were hired as peace officers. They made arrests and guarded the Old Wooden Block Jail until the

“Harmon’s Hoodlum Wagon” was available to take prisoners to jail in Corsicana.”

Larry Turner, with the Trust Department at Citizens National Bank, showed the audience a video of early pictures and history of the Corsicana Oil Boom. The video was put together by Navarro College.

Pictured left to right are Brad Haynie, Harriett Emerson, and Larry Turner. Haynie’s family has been in the oil business for many years, while Emerson is J.R. Ritchie’s granddaughter. Ritchie moved the Old Wooden Block Jail, now displayed at Petroleum Park, to his farm back in 1926, where it has remained undercover from the elements all this time. Turner has been instrumental in gathering information and photographs about Corsicana Oil history and keeping the tradition alive.

Harriett Emerson, and H. Gorman Ritchie, Jr., both descendents of J.R. Ritchie, made a few comments before the end of the ceremony.

“It was kind of a family tradition to see which family member was going to keep the jail in storage,” Emerson said, joking. “This is a great honor, and I’m sure my grandfather would be proud.”

The Old Wooden Block Jail will be displayed along with other relics from the early oil boom period, including an old cannon, which recently underwent restoration.

The old cannon sat at the Magnolia Oil Plant (currently Exxon Mobile) and was used to assist in putting out oil fires at the tank farm.

The oil would drain out of the hole and eventually the fire would extinguish itself out.

The Old Wooden Block Jail is just a small part of the Corsicana oil boom history, but played a large part in keeping criminals in check to keep law and order during the days when roughnecks ruled the Powell Oil Field area.

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