Today’s mystery photo is obviously in a big city, but not Atlanta. There’s quite a story behind this photo. See if you can find out about it. Send your thoughts to ebrack2@gmail.com when you determine it, and be sure to list your hometown.
The last mystery was quickly solved by Paula Cosentino of Duluth, recognizing the smallest police station in the world in Carrabelle, Fla., close to the “big bend” in the Panhandle. The photo (unedited in this issue) came from Scott Zanardo of Lawrenceville.
Lots of readers had seen this site. Among those responding were Charles Anderson, Hartwell; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; Cindy Joy Evans, Duluth; Ruth Lachman Paul, Norcross; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Chuck Cimarik, Peachtree Corners; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; David Will, Lilburn; Virginia Klaer, Duluth; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex.
Peel wrote: “The “Smallest Police Station in the World” is located on U.S. Highway 98 in Carrabelle, a small town along Florida’s Panhandle, approximately 45 miles southwest of Tallahassee. This rather unique implementation of a “police station” has gained attention over time, becoming a popular tourist attraction as it has been featured on a number of television shows, including in the 2019 horror movie Tate’s Hell.
“In 1953, the local phone company bolted a call box to the wall of a nearby building to allow the Carrabelle police to answer calls while patrolling the community. But it was not long before that phone would get vandalized or residents would use the phone to make unauthorized, long-distance phone calls. Attempts to move the call box to a different building did not resolve the issue. Then Johnnie Mirabella (1925–1995), who, at the time, was the lone Carrabelle employee of St. Joseph Telephone and Telegraph Company, noticed that the police officers would get drenched while making phone calls during rains. So, when the telephone company decided to replace an old, worn out phone booth with a new one, Mirabella decided to solve both problems at once by putting the call box in the old booth and calling it ‘The World’s Smallest Police Station.’ It was installed on March 10, 1963, to replace the original booth, which is now on display across the street in the Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce.”
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