by Rick Watson
Here is a photo of the old jailhouse. This structure has been saved and someone is living in it today. I stopped by on my recent trip through town and shot this photo. I also have a old photo from back in the 50’s. I had a funny story about this old building. Back when I was about six or seven years old, I used to sit in my daddy’s lap and drive. I loved to drive…even today driving is a pleasure. My daddy was friends with the Policeman in Dora at that time. His name was Officer Robinson. It was Joel Robinson’s daddy and I think his name was Joel too. Anyhow, daddy had told Officer Robinson that I would be driving later that afternoon down the old Sloss road.
As I was driving, I heard a siren and looked behind me and I was being “chased” by the police. It was a big black 1956 Ford Fairlane with a red bubble gum machine on top. We pulled over and he asked me for my license. My eyes must have been as big as saucers. I told him I didn’t have a drivers license. He said I had to go to jail. I was scared stiff. Daddy followed Officer Robinson to the old jail and it was then that I completely lost it and daddy and Officer Robinson called off the prank. I had forgotten that story for a while until I drove by the jail.
I think it would be really good if we all wrote a collective book called “The Things I Remember”. We could collect them all and publish them with old photographs and sell the gift books at local businesses to help raise money for the Old Dora Restoration Fund.
If you have stories and/or photographs you’d like to share, please send them to me and we’ll publish them while we’re collecting for the book. Just another one of those crazy ideas.
Dreamer Rick