November 13, 2007 marked the fifth year in the new spacious and attractive building. We have around 24,000 visitors each year.

The conference room - hosting a party for prison retirees.

The conference room decorated for a 2007 Christmas supper.

The new museum exhibits trace the development of the Texas prison system from its humble beginnings in 1848 to the system of today: a system that incarcerates approximately 150,000 offenders with a 2.5 billion dollar annual budget. Find out more...

Our Popular Exhibits

Unique Audio Exhibit

We now have a most interesting audio display. Each side plays a different story. There is a storyboard on each side describing the person on the audio. There are pictures of the storyteller on a glass panel just above the storyboard. The visitor merely places the headphones on and pushes the “PLAY” button to hear some interesting stories out of the past.

Currently one side is excerpts from an interview done in the 1960’s with a inmate Billy McCune, whose sentence had been commuted from death to life.  The other side is excerpts from a visit by this same interviewer, Danny Lyon, with McCune as an ex-mate some 25 years later.

Capital Punishment Exhibit

In 1924 the State of Texas took control of all executions and prescribed electrocution as the method. One of the most chilling exhibits at the Texas Prison Museum is "Old Sparky," the decommissioned electric chair in which 361 prisoners were executed between 1924 and 1964. This legendary device, made by prison workers, was in storage at the Walls Unit Death House before being donated to the museum, and is our most controversial exhibit.

In 1964 executions were stopped while the U.S. Supreme Court decided on the fate of execution practices. Executions resumed in 1982 with lethal injection replacing electrocutions as the means of carrying out the death penalty.

Prison Contraband Exhibit

"Contraband" is any item that represents a serious threat to the security and safety of the institution. This exhibit shows the craftiness and creativeness of inmates who manufacture weapons from materials found within the prison units.

Inmate Art

For recreation many inmates utilize their artistic capabilities. Some inmates turn out beautiful drawings, paintings, models, and sculptures. This exhibit highlights various types of art projects created by Texas inmates.

The artistic ability of inmates is easily recognized but what is most surprising is what the some of the items are made from. (Have you ever seen a rose made from toilet tissue?)

This saw blade was used by the saw mill at the Ellis Unit and painted by inmates there.

Prison Hardware

Various types of hardware have been used to contain inmates. This exhibit shows the different types of equipment used over the years, including the old ball and chain, pad locks, and modern handcuffs.