Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, also known as Walls Unit and Huntsville Unit, is a Texas prison. It was the first enclosed penitentiary in Texas. Legislation passed on March 13, 1848, called for the building of the prison.
A location was selected – trying to stay within a budget and a size limit. Huntsville was selected, and they purchased nearly five acres of land to build the prison on, and bought another 94 acres nearby. This would become Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville.
The prison opened in 1849 as has been operating ever since. One of its most notable features is that it houses an execution chamber that operates all the executions within the state of Texas. The prison is famous for its execution chamber. Texas has historically had the highest rate of executions of prisoners in the United States, and still holds that record. The state of Texas performed 16 executions in 2013, the highest number in the entire country.
Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville has housed a few notable inmates, such as Duane Chapman, better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, who served time there after he committed a murder in the late 1970s.
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