Texas Prison Museum - Huntsville, TX - A museum offering a glimpse into prison life

The Texas Prison Museum is located at 491 SH 75 North in Huntsville Texas. When visiting the museum use the 188 exit on Interstate 45 and the museum can be found just off the east side feeder road. The museum is open from ten in the morning to five in the afternoon on Monday through Saturday. On Sunday the museum does not open until noon and closes at five in the evening. The museum is closed for Easter, Thanksgiving and from Christmas Eve though the December 27th and the 31st of December as well as New Year's Day.

There is a charge for admission into the Texas Prison Museum of $4 for adults and $2 for those ages six to seventeen. Those from the age of six and under can enter the museum free of charge, seniors from the ages sixty and over get a reduced entry rate of $3. The same $3 rate applies to SHSU students with a valid student I.D. The museum accepts both Visa and MasterCard as a form of payment with discounts available to AAA members; there are also special rates for group tours available during the week.

There are a number of exhibits in the Texas Prison Museum that give a glimpse into the Texas prison systems history from both the former workers and prisoners themselves. The museum is non-profit began during 1989 with a board of trustees to oversee its operations. There are some part time personnel, two full time employees and a number of volunteers that make up the staff of the Texas Prison Museum which depends on public support to continue operations.

There are a number of goals associated with the museum among them the collection, preservation and maintaining of prison documents, photographs, oral history and artifacts. They also wish to preserve all the collections of prison museums. The Texas Prison Museum wishes to attract visitors and increase learning by showcasing and publicizing both the culture and history of the prison system in Texas. They also wish to be accountable for the fiscal aspects of maintaining, expanding and operating the Texas Prison Museum, Inc while keeping the highest quality.

There were money problems and overcrowded conditions in the Texas penitentiary during the end of the 1920's and the leadership of the prison systems administration was poor. In 1930 Lee Simmons became the general manager and seems to be the first person to make positive changes for both the guards and the inmates. He came up with the idea for Huntsville's prison rodeo and a baseball park for inmates next to the Walls Unit in 1931. The rodeo was a public relations event until 1986 when the last one was held.

Through Mr. Simmons hiring of Texas Ranger Frank Hamer to put an end to Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker after they the Eastham Unit of the prison he is responsible to putting a stop to the couple's crime spree. Now there are photo albums and a number of artifacts from the time Lee Simmons spent running the prison in the Texas Prison Museum that were donated by his family. The items also include a five barrel shotgun, nickel plated pistol and a homemade pistol.