Life Behind Bars
A Look at the Texas Prison Museum
By Shannon Pechacek
The Texas Prison Museum, located off IH-45 in
Huntsville, gives visitors an up close – sometimes
too close – view of life behind bars. With famous
prison memorabilia packing the 10,000 square feet of
floor space, museum visitors can spend hours looking
at exhibits that date from 1848 to today.
The Texas Prison Museum opened in 1989 thanks to
a group of Texas Department of Corrections employees
who felt the history of Huntsville prisons should be
shared with the public. The employees wanted to
preserve prison artifacts so people could learn and
appreciate life behind bars from the view of not
just the prisoners, but the people who worked at the
prisons, too.
Like most non-profits, funding for the prison
museum was limited. In 1998 the Board of Trustees
began raising funds to expand the museum and build a
new facility. Nearly a million dollars was raised,
and in Fall 2002, the new facility was completed.
The Texas Prison Museum's most famous attraction
is “Old Sparky,” an electric chair which helped to
execute 361 prisoners between 1924 and 1964. Jim
Willett, director of the Museum for three years and
a retired prison system employee, said, “When people
walk in the door, I think they are immediately drawn
to the electric chair.” This exhibit is located
across from a display of the tubing and straps used
to perform an execution by lethal injection in
Texas.
Also on display near “Old Sparky” are anti-death
penalty protest memorabilia from various rallies in
front of the Walls Unit gates. The Walls Unit has
been in Huntsville since 1849. Named after the
20-foot distinct red brick walls, it is the oldest
and most distinguished correctional institution in
Texas. The building is often seen in photos and news
footage of executions in Texas, examples of which
are shown at the museum.
Photos and collectibles from the Texas Prison
Rodeo are located at the Museum along with a brief
history of the event. The rodeo began in 1931 and
ran every Sunday in October until it was closed in
1986 due to the deterioration of the inmate baseball
park were the rodeo took place. The show became
famous as the “Wildest Show Behind Bars.” Famous
entertainers such as George Strait, Johnny Cash, and
Dolly Parton all made appearances at the rodeo.
One exhibit that shocks visitors is the
contraband weapon display case. The case is filled
with weapons made by prisoners using items you would
never expect were located within the prison walls.
“By far, I think visitors spend the most time
looking at this part of the museum,” Willett said.
The prisoners were able to create knives, pry bars,
and lifelike guns. Inmates also created art which is
on display, such as a beautiful rose made out of
toilet tissue and a painted saw blade from the Ellis
Unit! Willett said, “My favorite exhibit is probably
the model of the Walls Unit made by a prisoner.
Since I worked at the Walls Unit for 13 years as an
officer, it means something to me.”
Other famous items inside the Museum include the
rifles used by Bonnie and Clyde, and relics from the
Carrasco Prison Siege in 1974. Before leaving the
prison, you can step inside a life size replica of a
prison cell and feel first hand how a day in the
life of a prisoner could be.
In the past two years the prison museum has
brought in around 24,000 visitors annually. “We get
a lot of people who leave and say they are glad they
came,” Willett said.
The Texas Prison Museum takes a good look back in
time at how far the Texas Prison System has come,
preserves the memories of the past, and shows
possibilities for the future. For more information
about the Texas Prison Museum visit their website at
www.txprisonmuseum.org or call (936) 295-2155.
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