The Texas Prison Museum

It’s day three at our campground at Huntsville State Park. If you would like to read about our review of the campground click here. On today’s agenda we are going to the Texas Prison Museum.

The Texas Prison Museum is only ten minutes north of the Campground on highway 45. Parking is free and the tickets to the museum are only $5.00. I think you will find that to be a great deal.

Among all the exhibits there, is old Sparky. Old Sparky is the electric chair that was used from 1924 to 1964. It is on display in a replica of the death chamber. This exhibit also includes a pretty graphic description of how it was operated. My guess is that this display is the main draw to the museum. However, there is a lot more to see here at the Prison Museum than “Old Sparky”.

Old Sparky

There is a replica prison cell the is 9’x6′ with a double bunk. It leaves about enough room on the floor to do push-ups with no space left over.

In the middle of the room, there is a wall that features some of the executed inmates. The wall details the crimes they committed, their victims, and their last words in the death chamber. In quite a few cases the condemned had no last words at all.

There is also a contraband exhibit. “Contraband” is an item that represents a serious threat to the security and safety of the institution. For example, this may include homemade knives (shanks) and other sharp objects. The exhibit shows just how creative the inmates can be when it comes to manufacturing weapons from common materials found within the prison walls.

What was really surprising to us, was some of the inmate art work. These included everything from wood carvings to intricate paintings. For example, A painting of Bonnie and Clyde was made from coffee grounds but looked as if it were an actual photograph.