Texas Prison Museum, Huntsville, Texas

On our way to Houston for Thanksgiving, we stayed in Willis, Texas for a few days beforehand. There were many times when we drove down I-45 we passed the Prison Museum and Jim would say that he wanted to stop there. Well, we finally were able to take a trip there. The actual prison is on the west side of I-45, while the museum is on the east side of I-45, just north of the huge Sam Houston statute (which we also seem to miss stopping to see).

Outside of the museum is the Sesquicentennial Monument and plaza which, dedicated on September 11, 1998 to mark the 150th anniversary of corrections in Texas. It honors the men and women who valiantly served the state of Texas in the correctional system for the past century and a half, as well as those serving now and in the future.

The gift shop is made up of articles made by the prisoners themselves, which each one uses for their own personal use. There were many other wooden carvings in the museum which were also made by the prisoners.

How many animals and faces do you see in this stump? This is the stump of a black walnut tree from the Ellis Unit. When the tree died, it was cut for lumber and an inmate asked if he could have the stump to "piddle on." In his spare time, he carved the animals. The inmate paroled before completing it; however, he eventually violated his parole and was returned to the Ellis Unit. He began carving on it once again, creating over 20 different faces and animals.

In 1848 the Texas legislature passed a bill to establish a state penitentiary. The legislation stipulated that the location chosen to be in a healthy climate and near a navigable body of water. A selected committee chose the town of Huntsville, located near the Trinity River as the site. The committee modeled the prison after Mississippi's penitentiary that enclosed prisoners behind high walls and managed convicts under the Auburn system of convict management. The Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville was commonly referred to as the "Walls" because of its massive 20 ft. wall that encompassed the facility. It remained the only walled prison in the state until 1883, when another prison was built in Rusk. 

During the Civil War the Huntsville penitentiary confined Union POWs and court-marshaled Confederate soldiers. The textile mill inside the prison aided the Southern cause by producing large quantities of cloth, which was used to make Confederate uniforms. At the war's end in 1865, it was the only prison in the 11 Confederate states still standing.

By the turn of the 20th century the "Walls had emerged as the headquarters for the state prison system. The top administrators and departments maintained their central offices within the facility and all prison records were stored and maintained there. 

Inmates inside the courtyard of the "Walls" Unit

In 1895 a new three story gothic style administrative building was constructed to replace the old one. Starting in the 1930s the penal institution began replacing the gray sandstone brick with a more durable inmate-made red brick. The gothic castle-style structure that was built in the late 1800s lasted until 1942, when it was replaced by the red brick structure that is in use today.

In 1924 the state took control over executions from the counties. Death Row and the electric chair were housed inside the Huntsville penitentiary. In 1966, Death Row was moved to the Hills Unit but executions continued to take place at the "Walls." In 1999 Death Row was moved to the Polunsky Unit.

Today, the official name for the "Walls" is the Huntsville Unit. The complex incarcerates around 1,700 prisoners, and was the designated release point for nearly all male offenders that have been paroled or completed their prison term until regional releasing was adopted. Of the more than 100 TDCJ prison units that are now scattered throughout the state, the "Walls" remains the oldest and most storied of all the penitentiaries in Texas.

Bonnie & Clyde pistol. It was taken from the "death car" and brought back to Texas and given to Lee Simmons.

The Eastham State Prison Farm where Clyde Barrow served his time in the Texas State Penitentiary and where Bonnie and Clyde made their raid. Gang member Raymond Hamilton along with Joe Palmer and Hilton Bybee escaped that day, but not before shooting two guards.

The Texas Prison System began during the 1848-1871 time frame. Built in 1848, the facility housed three prisoners by years end. The number grew to 75 in 1855, and by 1860, the population totaled 182. In 1856, the penitentiary built a cotton and wool mill in an attempt to make its operations self-sustaining. During the civil war, the penitentiary produced vast quantities of cloth for both civilians and the Confederate States of America. The prison system saw a sharp increase in convict population during the Reconstruction Era. Many of the new convicts were recently emancipated slaves who resorted to theft and pilfering as a means of survival. 

In the years following the Civil War the prison system suffered financial hardships. To help ease the financial strain, the state passed a measure to lease the system to the highest bidding private company in 1871. The management company would pay the state an annual fee for the unrestricted use of prison labor, but was expected to maintain the prison, care for the prisoners, and pay the salaries of the staff. 

In 1883, the state terminated the private contracts, took back control of the prison system, and began leasing convict labor. For the next 30 years profits from this venture formed a large part of the state's revenue.

During 1912-1948, the state purchased a number of plantations and converted them into prison farms. They were set up to make a profit, but seldom did. There was administrative mismanagement, corruption, fraud, and poor treatment of prisoners. They did try to reform the prison system with General Manager Marshall Lee Simmons. He did a good job and when he left, things started going downhill. After one other manager who did not improve the system, Oscar Bryon Ellis was hired to transform the archaic and dilapidated penal system into a modern and effective one.

Ellis transformed the prison system with what is now referred to as the "Ellis System." During his tenure, the prison system was renamed the Texas Department of Corrections. In 1961 he died of a heart attack and Dr. George Beto was chosen to succeed him. Beto was an authoritarian and stern disciplinarian who did not tolerate inmate misconduct or brutal treatment at the hands of guards. He expanded the educational programs and industrial operations. 

Bob Hayes, world class athlete who won 2 medals at the 1964 Olympic games. Hayes became addicted to cocaine, but by 1979 he was convicted of selling narcotics and spent 10 months at the Ferguson unit.

Clyde Thompson was the youngest man sentenced there. He was convicted of killing two men "just to see them kick."

John Wesley Hardin was Texas' most notorious gunfighter. In 1868, at age 15 he claimed his first victim, and as a young adult, his life followed a pattern of saloon going, gambling, fighting, and killing. Hardin maintained he never killed a man that didn't need killing, and that he always shot to save his own life. By 1878, Hardin had already killed between 42 and 51 people, and was standing trial for murder of Charles Webb who was a member of Reconstruction Governor Edmund J. Davis' State Police. He was subsequently convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Clyde Barrow entered the prison system in 1930 on a burglary charge out of Waco. He had been arrested for a string of burglaries and auto theft in the Dallas area prior to this.  He escaped from jail in Waco with a pistol that was smuggled to him by Bonnie Parker. Clyde was found guilty and sentenced to 14 years in the state penitentiary. He hated the hard work so much so that he had another inmate cut off two of his toes to get out of work. Barrow was transferred to the main unit for medical attention and was released on parole.

Clyde Barrow reunited with Bonnie Parker and thus began their life of holdups, car thefts and killings. The pair made national headlines; they stayed on the run and were constantly moving all around Texas, Louisiana, and states north of Texas. 

Clyde raided the Eastham Farm, breaking out some gang members, and in doing so, guard M. Joe Crowson was shot and died a few days later. This caused the beginning of their demise. With the governor's permission, Prison General Manager Lee Simmons hired former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer to find and dispose of Bonnie & Clyde. 

Chief Satanta was born into the Kiowa Indian tribe domain. Over his life he witnessed the Kiowa's defeat, demoralization, and confinement to a reservation. Unhappy with the provisions of the treaty that reduced their domain to a small reservation, Satanta and the Kiowa raided and harassed settlements. After numerous other raids on white settlements, Satanta was taken into custody for their participation in the Salt Creek Massacre. He was paroled and re-arrested and spent four years in confinement. Satanta became demoralized over the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison and committed suicide by jumping out of the window in the prison hospital and falling several stories. Satanta was buried in the prison cemetery where he rested for over 80 years, and in 1963 his grandson re-interred the chief's remains at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Though successful as a singer, David Crosby had a longstanding drug problem that continued to worsen. This led to a falling out with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. By the end of the 70s, he was playing alone before small audiences and was dependent on cocaine and heroin. A series of drug possession and illegal weapons charges landed him a prison sentence in Texas. He only served five months in prison before being paroled, he was able to kick his drug habit while in prison.

Annie Williams murdered and mutilated her two children in 1955. Authorities found her two boys' cut up remains in her freezer. Williams was convicted of two counts of murder with malice and was sentenced to life in prison. She served 25 years before being paroled in 1980. After release she remarried and moved to Idaho where she became a pillar of her community.

Juanita Phillips aka Candy Barr, made a name for herself as a striptease dancing at various social functions, posing for men's magazines, starring in adult movies, and becoming a headline dancer at the Colony Club, located in the heart of Dallas. She attracted a who's who list of politicians and prominent citizens to her shows. She became involved with the infamous Jack Ruby. She was arrested on drug charges and received a 15 year prison sentence. She appealed and was released on bond. While performing in Las Vegas her bond was forfeited and she ended up in Huntsville. She stayed in the public eye by singing in the Texas Prison Rodeo. She served almost 4 years before being paroled.

From the time the penitentiary opened in 1849 until 1911, all prisoners wore striped clothes. On January 20, 1911, a law was passed for prisoners to be graded. Those who were not in a disciplinary status were given a no. 1 grade and dressed out in whites; if they committed a minor disciplinary offense they were given a no. 2 grade and were dressed in stripes, running up and down. Those who received major punishment for escape, attempted escape, or "cursing their officials" wore stripes running around their bodies.

A 9,000 lb. Wheel made at Rusk Prison Foundry

Two inmates training the dogs in the 1940s

Since the 1800s dogs have been used by the Texas Prison System to help track escaped inmates. Inmates are taught how to train the dogs before becoming the caretaker and handler of the dogs. Then they work for the dog sergeant. The dog sergeant is responsible for the dogs and the inmates under his supervision.

Whipping punishment

This gate was manufactured by convicts of the Rusk Penitentiary prior to 1900. It was part of the fence around the general manager's house at the Huntsville Penitentiary, better known as "The Walls Unit." The gate was recently removed but the fence still stands. 

Pictures from the Prisoner's Rodeo:

This is the actual saw blade used by and donated by the Ellis Woodshop. The paintings are depicting prison rodeo scenes, through the eyes of the artist, Vern Vitek. 

This is the other side of the saw blade. The pictures depict various scenes from the 50s and 60s. This is the way the Walls Unit looked from the inside looking out. They grew their own food, plowed the fields, baled hay, made and repaired wagon wheels and still pick cotton. This side was done by three artists: Mike Jewel, Elvie Turner, and Vern Vitek.

The Bad -- Assaultive Armor

Can you see the razor blades? Officers discovered this razor blade filled "armor" during a cell shakedown. The blades are so well concealed by the artwork and shape that several employees were cut while handling this contraband. The officers located this outfit before it was used against anyone.

The Good -- Wooden Motorcycle

Around the turn of the century inmate Mark Cahill was building this motorcycle in the Ferguson Unit craft shop. Cahill got into trouble and his "piddling" privileges were taken from him. The motorcycle, in its unfinished condition was given to the Prison Museum. Cahill was later paroled, but later returned to prison. He was asked to finish the motorcycle, which he gladly did. 

Collage

Model of a clipper ship

Clock

Cemetery

Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery

Since the establishment of the State Penitentiary inmates have been buried on a plot of land that is now officially named the Joe Byrd Cemetery, but is more commonly called "Peckerwood Hill." In early years the term peckerwood referred to those inmates who were poor and whose bodies were unclaimed. After 100 years the cemetery had become overgrown with brush and weeds. In 1962 Captain Joe Byrd initiated and personally oversaw the cleanup of the cemetery. 

Previous graves were marked with wooden crosses and it was hard to find many of the older graves. The graves that were identifiable were marked with new white concrete crosses. By the time they finished they located over 900 graves, though it was known that many of the graves dated back to the 1800s, unidentifiable and lost to history. Today over 3,000 known prisoners are buried in the cemetery. Inmates who die in the Texas prison system are there for one reason: no one claimed their body. Many families choose not to claim the body and force the the state to pay for the burial.

Until 1924 death by hanging was the legal method of execution in Texas.

In 1998 Karla Faye Tucker became the first woman executed since the Civil War.

"Old Sparky" The Texas Electric Chair

When the Warden gave the signal, the executioner threw the switch, sending 1,800 volts through the condemned man's body, knocking him unconscious and paralyzing his brain. The voltage was reduced to 500 volts momentarily to prevent his body from catching on fire or exploding. The executioner would then take the voltage up to 1,300 volts and then back to 500 volts where it was held for a minute to maintain a paralysis of the brain and a suspension of his body's life supporting functions. When the electric generator purred to a halt, the physician would step forward and place a stethoscope on the man's chest, then turn to the Warden and pronounce him dead.