Huntsville in Walker County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery

Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2021

1. Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Located a few blocks from the first prison in Texas, the 1848 Huntsville Penitentiary, the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 3,000 inmates who died while incargerated within the Texas prison system. The first inmate to be interred here was laid to rest in the 1850s. During the first 100 years of the cemetery's use, inmates were buried among weeds and trees with no record of their death other than the grave marker. Named for the assistant warden who was in charge of clearing the cemetery of debris and locating over 900 graves, Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery is the only active cemetery in Texas for inmates whose bodies are unclaimed by family. More than 100 people are buried here each year.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2012

Erected 2012 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 17689.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Law Enforcement. A significant historical year for this entry is 1848.

Location. 30° 42.756′ N, 95° 32.253′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Texas, in Walker County. Marker is on Bowers Boulevard, 0.1 miles Avenue Sycamore, on the right when traveling east. The marker is located at the northwest entrance to the cemetery. Touch for map

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. Marker is in this post office area: Huntsville TX 77340, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Site of Boettcher's Mill (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Presidents Tree (approx. 0.7 miles away); Peabody Library Building (approx. ¾ mile away); Austin College Building (approx. 0.8 miles away); Old Main Building (approx. 0.8 miles away); Josey Boy Scout Lodge (approx. 0.9 miles away); Law Office (Sam Houston) (approx. 0.9 miles away); Huntsville "Walls" Unit (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.

Also see . . .
1. Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery.

The cemetery's current name derives from Joe Byrd, an assistant warden at the Huntsville Unit who, in the 1960s, helped restore and clean the cemetery. Byrd was also the state executioner, overseeing electrocutions at Huntsville. He was best known for the dignity and respect given to the inmates that were executed and their families. As of 2011, each burial has the presence of either the Huntsville Unit warden or a deputy of the Huntsville Unit warden. Prisoners serve as pallbearers, chisel names in headstones, and dig graves using shovels and backhoes. Source: Wikipedia

(Submitted on August 24, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Texas State Penitentiary At Huntsville

Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2021

2. Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery Marker

Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, also known as the Walls unit of the state prison system, was the state's first enclosed penitentiary for convicted felons. On March 13, 1848, the Texas legislature passed the bill to establish a state prison. The language of the law indicated clearly that the new prison would be a place where inmates would be forced to abide by strict rules of behavior and discipline and would work so as not to be a burden on the state's taxpayers. The law required the governor to appoint a committee of three to select a site for the new institution. The location chosen should be no larger than 100 acres and should cost no more than $5 an acre. The three committee members, John Brown of Henderson County, William Palmer of Walker County, and William Menefee of Fayette County, ultimately selected Huntsville as the home for the new state facility. Source: The Handbook of Texas

(Submitted on August 24, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The entrance to the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2021

3. The entrance to the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery and Marker

The view of the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery Marker from the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2021

4. The view of the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery Marker from the street

A view of the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2021

5. A view of the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on August 24, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 548 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 24, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.