The small town of Brussels, Illinois is situated between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers north of St. Louis. The region was first settled in 1822, and about two decades later several German immigrants moved into the area. Next to a bar, is a small building with faded red corrugated metal siding. It looks like it might be a storage shed, but the sign hanging over the door lets people know its historical significance; it reads: Brussels Village Jail Est. 1876.
Known locally as the “Calaboose”, the little jail was mainly used to hold men who had had too much to drink. It was a place for them to spend the night and the alcohol to work its way out of their bodies. On one occasion, the little jail held twelve men, and if they wanted to “sleep it off” they had to do it standing up. The jail held its last inmate in 1952. After that, they were taken by the sheriff to the county jail. The little building still stands as a reminder of a time when people who broke the law in Brussels were locked up in it.
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