Wetumpka in Elmore County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Wetumpka, Alabama

(Site of Alabama's First State Penitentiary)

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 8, 2023

1. Wetumpka, Alabama Marker

Inscription. In January 1839, Governor Arthur P. Bagby and the State Legislature enacted a criminal code authorizing a state penitentiary system for Alabama. A cornerstone was laid in October 1839 on property purchased adjacent to the Coosa River in Wetumpka and construction was begun on the first state penitentiary. By 1841, the Wetumpka State Penitentiary, a 208-cell structure surrounded by walls 25 feet high, was completed at a cost of $84,889. The buildings were impressive, handsome, and functional. The entrance building facing east was a three-story brick structure with ornamental cast iron grill work on the portico, balustrades, and double exterior staircase. The long cell block building on the north was two-story with a two-story verandah, exterior stairs and wooden ornamentation. The ornate and elegant administrative building was in the rear. Landscaping, statuary, and gardens were a part of the compound. The facility was used for 100 years and closed when Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women was completed in December 1942.

A state prison facility has continually been located in the city of Wetumpka since the

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first state penitentiary was built in 1841. Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, named for "the Angel of Stockades," zealot for prison reforms, was built in 1942 and the first state penitentiary located on this site was closed. Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women is located one mile north of this site on the east side of US Highway 231 and is the only women's prison in the state. Other early prisons in Alabama were located in Elmore County, including the Speigner Station facilities. A 4,058-acre tract was purchased at Speigner Station on the L&N Railroad and construction was completed on Camp No. 2 and Camp No. 3 in 1894.

Erected 2010 by Alabama Tourism Department and the City of Wetumpka.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Tourism Department series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1839.

Location. 32° 33.06′ N, 86° 11.439′ W. Marker is in Wetumpka, Alabama, in Elmore County. It is at the intersection of Jackson Trace Road and Hospital Drive, on the right when traveling south on Jackson Trace Road. Touch for map.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 8, 2023

2. Wetumpka, Alabama Marker

Marker is at or near this postal address: 8007 US-231, Wetumpka AL 36092, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Tri-Counties River Region.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Wetumpka Impact Crater (approx. ¾ mile away); World War II Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away); Elmore County Training School (approx. 1.2 miles away); a different marker also named Wetumpka Impact Crater (approx. 1.2 miles away); a different marker also named Wetumpka Impact Crater (approx. 1.2 miles away); Wetumpka Timeline (approx. 1.2 miles away); Old Calaboose (approx. 1.2 miles away); High Water Mark (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers

Wetumpka, Alabama Marker with former location of prison in background. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 8, 2023

3. Wetumpka, Alabama Marker with former location of prison in background.

in Wetumpka.

Also see . . . Blog post - A visit to the ruins of Alabama’s first penitentiary.. (Submitted on May 8, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Leftover remains of a storage tank from the old prison. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 8, 2023

4. Leftover remains of a storage tank from the old prison.

Former location of the Wetumpka State Prison. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 8, 2023

5. Former location of the Wetumpka State Prison.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 633 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 8, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.