Eastham Prison Farm

Before the state owned Eastham, the land was worked by enslaved people, then by sharecroppers, then by leased convicts, according to Wikipedia's history of the unit. In 1896 Mrs. D. Eastham agreed to pay $14.50 a month for each of 119 convicted men. The same account places Clyde Barrow here from April 1930 to May 1932 and says that on January 16, 1934, he returned to free five prisoners. The prison has since been renamed the J. Dale Wainwright Unit, for a former chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice.

What the plaque says

Eastham Prison Farm The Eastham family purchased a 12, 790 acre plantation in 1891. Property was leased soon afterward to the Texas State Prison System for farming on a shared basis. The landowner supplied seed, machinery, tools and mules, while the state provided labor to plant, tend and harvest the crops. The state received 60 percent of the cotton and 50 percent of the sugar cane. The state bought the land in 1915 after the death of Mrs. Delha Eastham. Eastham Prison Farm was among the first to construct a maximum security building in 1919. The state ferry, erected in 1920 by convict labor, crossed the Trinity River into Madison County. Prisoners used picks and shovels to cut into the steep river banks to build a road wide enough for wagon travel. Unrest among the prisoners was curtailed when noted penologist O.B. Ellis, General Manager of the prison system including Eastham, ushered in more progressive treatment of the inmates. Advancements included improved living and working conditions, introduction of a library, gymnasium, craft shop and chapel, and an education program. Eastham continues to be a major part of the state's prison system. Community benefits include improved roads and a source of employment. (1996)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Fort Boggy State Park — 28 mi
  A 1,847-acre park in Leon County named for a settlers' palisade of 1840, with a 15-acre lake, short trails and the story of Tennessee farmers, the Keechi and a Ranger captain.

More markers nearby

• Site of Old Town and Post Office of Weldon — 4.0 mi
• Site of Volga Community — 6.8 mi
• Site of Trinidad — 9.8 mi
• Bucareli — 9.8 mi