None.
None.
(Identify the item and cite the series), Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Direct management of the prison was through the Superintendent (also called Inspector for a brief period), appointed by the Governor. In 1853, a financial agent was appointed to handle financial matters. Other officials were added to the system, including assistant superintendents, inspectors of outside camps, and physicians. Of the prison officials, the superintendent and financial agent had the most direct dealings with the Board and Governor in the management of the prison system.
The prison system began as a single institution, located in Huntsville, known as the Huntsville Penitentiary. County sheriffs escorted prisoners there and the convicts were put to work in various shops and factories housed within the institution. One such industry was a cotton/woolen factory, operated prior to, during, and after the Civil War. In addition to supplying its own needs, materials were distributed to counties for the families of military personnel, and, if available, to needy families. Cloth was also sold to Confederate forces when supplies permitted. Other types of industries included the manufacture of shoes, wagons, and furniture. Some farming was done by the prisoners which partially supplied their food needs.
In 1871, following a recommendation of the Reconstruction Convention (Chapter 21, 12th Legislature, 1st Called Session), the penitentiary was leased to private individuals. These men, known as lessees, paid the state for the convict labor and use of facilities, and in turn, managed the system, including clothing and feeding the convicts and paying the guards. The state kept an inspector or superintendent on site to observe the prison operations and report back to the Board or Governor. It was during this period that the outside camp system was firmly established. In addition to the use of convicts in and around the prison, the prisoners were hired out to large labor employers, mainly plantation owners and railroad companies. Brutalities to convicts, especially in these labor camps increased, leading to several internal and legislative investigations undertaken to clarify and correct such situations. Other problems with the lessee system included an increase in escapes, and seemingly less emphasis on or concern with the convicts' personal hygiene and prison sanitation, resulting in a increase in sickness and deaths in the prison population. It was also during this period, in the late 1870s, that the method for conveying prisoners to the penitentiary changed. Instead of county sheriffs or deputies escorting the prisoners, private agents were hired to perform this service, resulting in a large savings for the state ($39 vs. an average of $77.18 per convict).
The need for another prison was recognized during the 1870s as the penitentiary became overcrowded. Rusk Penitentiary, initially known as the East Texas Penitentiary, was built in the late 1870s - early 1880. Its main industry, an iron foundry and blast furnace, was developed with the intention of selling raw iron and iron products. While the iron industry was never very successful, Rusk did supply the iron castings used in construction of the State Capitol.
The state regained direct administrative control of the prison system in 1883. The Board decided to lease some of the prison shops to private individuals and contract out unskilled or surplus convicts to plantation owners, railroad companies, etc. (It was convict labor in a granite quarry which supplied granite used in building the State Capitol.) The goal of the penitentiary Board was to eventually employ all convicts on state account, either in shop industries or on state leased or owned prison farms. In order to achieve this, additional farms were purchased and some shops were renovated or expanded. Some of the state farms were used to house special classes of convicts. One such farm contained male convicts with consumption and other lung diseases. Another housed the female convict population.
In 1893, with the intention of assisting the ailing iron industry at Rusk, construction began on a standard gauge railroad, known as the Texas State Railroad. It was completed to Palestine in 1909/1910 and was somewhat of a failure as a source of revenue. The iron furnace at Rusk had shut down and the railroad did not get the tonnage for haul it had anticipated. After several years of operation, the authority for the railroad was transferred from the Prison Commission to the newly created Office of the Manager of the State Railroad, and later to the new Board of Managers of the State Railroad.
In 1911, under the authority of the Board of Prison Commissioners, the prison system began operating on state account. Prisoners were housed and worked in one of the two prisons or on a state prison farm. The shop industries slowed down while the prison farms expanded. This arrangement made it more difficult to provide education and other reform measures. Such measures were generally practiced at Huntsville, with some teaching extended to a couple of prison farms by the early 1920s. In 1918, the penitentiary at Rusk was closed. The buildings were converted into an asylum for insane blacks. This complex later became the Rusk State Hospital.
The Texas Prison Board replaced the Board of Prison Commissioners in 1927. This Board, along with the prison manager, had exclusive management and control of the system, unlike its predecessors. The Board formulated the policies and the manager carried them out. During their tenure, changes in the system included more emphasis on prison reform, teaching, recreation--including the establishment of the Texas Prison Rodeo--and a new method of classifying prisoners.
Today, the Hunstville Penitentiary still serves as the central institution in the prison system. This system is managed by the Board of Criminal Justice through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Inmates work in shop industries, on construction projects, and on state farms. They receive occupational skills training through their work and have access to educational programs. Other resocialization measures are available, such as programs involving religion, recreation, and physiological and psychological health care.
Types of records include correspondence, reports, financial documents, legal records, and blueprints and maps, dating 1846-1921, and undated. Date gaps within each record type exist. Correspondence consists of incoming letters only, and is scant after 1882. Reports are also few after 1882. Financial documents exist throughout the period but are scant during the 1850s and 1870s. Other record types are scattered throughout.
These records document the state penitentiary system in Texas from the early years through the beginning of the twentieth century. They reflect activities of various penitentiary officials, especially the superintendent and financial agent, and governors involvement with the prison system. A wide range of subjects are covered, including cloth production and distribution during the Civil War, investigations of financial agents, treatment of convicts, conveyance of convicts to the prison, leasing of the prisons, contracting for convict labor, repairs and additions to the Huntsville facilities, construction of Rusk Penitentiary, the iron industry at Rusk, purchase of state farms, the Texas State Railroad, and routine financial affairs. Coverage of the prison system is negligible after 1911, consisting of a few documents through the early 1920s. Documentation after this point is confined to published biennial, annual and other reports. Major topics not covered in these records are the pardon/parole system; the establishment of the House of Correction and Reformatory, an institution for youthful offenders; and the final disposition of the penitentiary at Rusk. Mention of these issues, for the most part, is limited to published biennial reports.
These materials are not the actual records from the prison system. Instead, they consist of materials which, at some point in the past, were removed from records of variousstate agencies, primarily Governor's records, records of the Secretary of State and of the Comptroller.
These records are organized into eight series and eighteen subseries:
[contact the Institutional Division]
[contact the Media Services Unit]
Various manuscript collections - check the Center for more information about related holdings
Laura K. Saegert, July 1988, April 2002
Accession numbers: unknown
No accession data exists for these records.
These are mainly incoming letters, largely directed to the Governor, with some to the Comptroller and other state officials, covering the period 1846-1882, with a few scattered letters through 1921. Also included are a small number of outgoing letters and third party correspondence. These letters reflect the Governor's involvement in Penitentiary affairs, both as the state's chief executive and as a member of the Penitentiary's governing body. Many of the letters are from the Superintendent or Inspector, and relate aspects of prison operations, especially during the lessee period (1870s-1880s primarily), when such communication was the most direct link the Governor or the Board had with the prison. Other correspondents include the financial agent and other prison officials, lessees, contractors, directors, and the general public. Missing are letters to the prison from the Governor and other state officials or any other incoming mail to the prison. The correspondence, however, does document a wide range of penitentiary affairs: routine activities, such as acknowledgements and appointments, as well as public outrage at the shooting of escaping convicts. These letters consist of recommendations, requests and petitions, responses to inquiries, acknowledgements, cover letters, etc.
Subjects covered include the sale and distribution of
penitentiary-manufactured cotton and woolen goods, investigations of financial
agents' accounts, treatment of convicts, transportation of convicts to the
prison, prisoner mutinies and escapes, improvements and repairs needed at the
prisons, leasing of the prisons and of convict labor to outside parties,
construction of Rusk Penitentiary, the iron industry at Rusk, and acquisition
of land for Rusk Penitentiary and state farms. Letters offering land for
purchase are in the
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Correspondence concerning the Penitentiary, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These consist of biennial, quarterly, monthly, and other reports
from the penitentiary, dating 1848-1908 and undated, with the bulk dating
1875-1882. They cover the establishment of the penitentiary through the lessee
period, relating the state of affairs at the prison and outside camps in regard
to management of the system, financial matters, and condition and treatment of
prisoners. Regular reports were prepared by the Board, superintendent or
inspector, assistant superintendent or inspector, financial agent, physician,
and chaplain. These reports were submitted to the Board and/or the Governor. In
addition to these documents, other reports by these individuals regarding
prisoner mistreatment and other matters are also present. Additionally, special
topical reports by these and other parties are present, concerning
investigations of the financial agents in the 1860s, freedmen in the
penitentiary at the close of the Civil War, the construction of Rusk
Penitentiary, surveying prospective land for a state prison farm, and an
engineer's report on Rusk. Reports on investigations at the penitentiaries can
be found in the series
These records are organized into seven series and four sub-series:
(Identify the item and cite the subseries), Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These consist of biennial, monthly, and other reports of the Directors or Commissioners, dating 1848-1880. The reports were directed to the Governor and relate the condition of the penitentiary, either from direct observation by Board members, or reported to them by the superintendent or other prison officials. Both the biennial and monthly reports consist largely of a narrative summation of the state of affairs in the prison system. Most of the biennial reports were published and are not present in the series, the earliest being 1853 - 1855, and consistently from 1870 on. These published reports were comprised of the Board's report, the superintendent's report and those of other prison officials. Manuscript copies of unpublished reports prior to this time usually only consist of the Board's report. A few may also contain the superintendent's report.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Directors/Commissioners, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These consist of biennial, monthly, and other reports of the Superintendent/Inspector, dating from ca. 1860 to 1882, and undated. This position began as superintendent, remaining as such until 1871, the start of the lessee period, when the title changed to Inspector. In 1878, the title reverted back to Superintendent. This individual reported to the Governor biennially and at the end of each month on the conditions at the penitentiary. The most numerous group of reports are monthly reports. Typically, these consist of a narrative statement on the prison's operations, accompanied by a series of statistical tables, which provide data on the prisoners received, discharged, escaped, recaptured, and those hospitalized; clothing and provisions issued; transportation vouchers paid; and the number of convicts on hand during the month, including a breakdown by location. Biennial reports contain much of the same information, and usually include reports of the assistant superintendents or inspectors, physician, and chaplain. The biennial reports, along with the Board's reports, were usually published from 1870 on. Only a couple of unpublished manuscript reports are present in these records. Some other records are present, generally concerning the management by the lessees or the treatment of prisoners. These were often submitted in response to a request from the Governor or Board. The superintendent during the majority of this period was Thomas Goree.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Superintendent/Inspector, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These consist of monthly and other reports of the Assistant Superintendent/Inspector, dating 1875-1879. These reports cover part of the lessee period, during which this officer's primary duty was to oversee the treatment and discipline of convicts in the outside camps. He reported monthly and biennially to the superintendent. As with his supervising officer, this position changed titles, from assistant superintendent to assistant inspector in 1871, and back to assistant superintendent in 1878. The monthly reports consist of a narrative statement on the condition and treatment of convicts in the outside camps. Other reports discuss the same topic, and were usually submitted in response to a request from the superintendent, Board, or Governor. Published biennial reports by the assistant superintendent or inspector are included with those of other officers in the Board's report to the Governor.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Assistant Superintendent/Inspector, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These consist of biennial, quarterly, and other reports of the
Financial Agent, dating 1859-1870. Quarterly reports were submitted to the
Comptroller and biennial reports to the Board and/or Governor. The agent
reported on the financial condition of the penitentiary, including statements
of expenditures, disbursements, goods and cash received, goods manufactured and
distributed, an inventory of provisions and property, and usually, a narrative
summary. Many of the materials in the
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Financial Agent, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These consist of biennial, annual, and other reports of the prison physician, dating 1860-1880. The physician reported to the superintendent on the medical condition of the convicts, cases hospitalized, surgeries performed, and measures which could be taken to improve the health and sanitation of the prison. These reports consist of a narrative statement and tables. The biennial reports were published and included with those of other officers in the Board's report to the Governor.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Physician, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These consist of two reports of the prison chaplain, dating 1875-1876. The chaplain reported to the superintendent on the duties performed by him, the spiritual well being and morale of the convicts, and measures which could be taken to improve the convicts morale and religious activities in the penitentiary. Published biennial reports of the chaplain are included with those of the other officers in the Board's report to the Governor.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Chaplain, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These are subject reports by various officials or outsiders, dating 1865-1908. There is a series of reports on the activities of two financial agents of the penitenitary, a survey of freedmen in the prison just after the Civil War, and several inspection reports and other items concerning the construction of the East Texas or Rusk Penitentiary.
These records are organized into four subseries:
These are reports on the activities of two finanical agents,
dating ca. 1866-1867. During the mid 1860s, the management of the
penitentiary's financial affairs was questioned. The accounts of two financial
agents during this period were investigated. These investigations were
conducted by either independent reviewers or the Comptroller's Office. Results
were reported to the Governor or, in one case, the Attorney General.
Interrogations of witnesses in these investigations are in the
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Reports on activities of financial agents, Special subject reports, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These materials concern a survey of freedmen and women sent to the penitentiary shortly after the Civil War--late 1865 to mid 1867. Dates of the records are 1865-1868. At the Governor's request, counties supplied information regarding these individuals--their names, offense, date of conviction, and prison term. In some cases, copies of the original judgement and sentencing were included. Replies were directed to the Governor or his private secretary, dating from late 1867 through early 1868. Supplementing the responses is a list of freedmen and women in the penitentiary in November 1866. A few letters from the superintendent regarding particular cases are present.
These materials are arranged alphabetically by county.
(Identify the item), Survey of freedmen, Special subject reports, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These reports concern the plans, specifications and
construction of the penitentiary at Rusk, also known as the East Texas
Penitentiary. Dates covered are 1877-1879. Reports from the state architect and
an architectural firm regarding the plans and specifications begin this series
of reports. Following are monthly progress reports to the Governor, prepared by
the East Texas Penitentiary Inspectors. Nearing the completion of the
construction, the inspector submitted a report summarizing the work done, from
the site selection through the construction. This report is accompanied by a
map showing the lands used by the state, either for buildings or rights of way,
and a map showing the location of the buildings. See the series
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Construction of East Texas or Rusk Penitentiary, Special subject reports, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These are two reports, one concerning locating land for a state prison farm, the other is an Engineer's report on Rusk Penitentiary. Dates covered are 1899 and 1908.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Other reports, Special subject reports, Reports, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These materials consist of testimony and interrogations taken
during investigations concerning the penitentiary, dating 1866-1879 and
undated. The earliest documents involve the investigation of a financial
agent's accounts by an outside auditor. The other investigations relate to the
treatment and condition of convicts, both in the penitentiary and outside
camps. Testimony was taken before penitentiary officials in one case, and a
Governor-appointed committtee headed by the Assistant Attorney General, in
another case. The remaining documents consist of notes of penitentiary
officials or lessees testimonies. Related materials, in some cases summary
reports, can be found in the
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Investigations, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records consist largely of abstracts, payrolls, inventories and property returns, discharge vouchers, and transportation vouchers. Other materials include claims against the penitentiary, convict overtime payrolls, estimates, blank forms, Comptroller's instructions, powers of attorney, an account ledger, and a daily journal. Dates covered are 1848-1911 and undated. These records document routine financial matters of the state penitentiary system. Materials were submitted to or prepared by the financial agent, then submitted to the Comptroller.
The materials are arranged into six sub-series:
(Identify the item and the subseries), Financial records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records consists of abstracts, vouchers, statements of
accounts with individuals, statements of accounts current, bills and receipts
from the late 1840s through the early 1870s, bills of lading from the early to
mid 1860s, and some payrolls. Overall date coverage is 1848-1911 and undated.
These materials constitute a fairly complete record of the financial
transactions at the state penitentiaries. There are abstracts of disbursements,
expenditures, cash received, goods received, articles expended, articles lost
or destroyed, sales, labor, wood hauled, and goods manufactured at penitentiary
factories and workshops. Some early payrolls, 1840s - 1860s, are in these
records, as they were part of a multi-page document. This is also the case for
some early lists of articles transferred between the superintendent and
financial agent, dating from the mid to late 1860s. A small set of documents
from the mid 1860s document the penitentiary's role in cloth production. These
include abstracts of goods manufactured, goods received, goods sold or
distributed, vouchers, and daily statements of cloth production. The majority
of the payrolls are in the subseries
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Abstracts and supporting documents, Financial records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records consist of inventories, monthly and quarterly returns of property, lists of articles between outgoing and incoming superintendents, and between the superintendent and financial agent, dating 1864-1899. A few transfers of articles, mid to late 1860s, are part of a series of abstracts and remain filed with the abstracts.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Inventories, Financial records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records are monthly payrolls of the two prisons, state and
share farms, and all contracted outlying forces, dating 1861-1910, the bulk
dating 1883-1910. Some early payrolls, 1848-1850 and mid 1860s, are part of a
series of abstracts and remain filed with the series
These records are arranged chronologically by year, then month. Huntsville and Rusk payrolls are filed first, with other forces following, arranged by voucher number. These numbers refer back to the abstracts.
(Identify the item), Payrolls, Financial records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These are vouchers for the cost of conveying prisoners from the county jails to the state penitentiaries, dating 1861-1910, the bulk dating 1891-1910. County sheriffs and/or their deputies were responsible for transferring convicts through the 1870s. The sheriff and guards accompanying him were each paid a mileage rate. The vouchers for this period usually list the convict's name, county, mileage, and amount due. Some vouchers from the late 1860s to the early 1870s are accompanied by a copy of the judgement of conviction, or a statement from the judge authorizing a number of guards to assist in the transfer. In the late 1870s the vouchers also provide the convict's offense and term of imprisonment. In July 1879, the legislature changed the transportation system. Convicts were transported to the prisons by contracted agents at a set per capita rate which was much lower than what the old system averaged ($39 vs. an average of $77.18). In May 1891, the method was again changed. The convicts were conveyed by contractors on state account, as opposed to a set per capita rate.
These vouchers include the convict's name, county, and in the 1891 and later vouchers, a list of expenses incurred. From 1900-1910, the convict's name is often omitted from the voucher, and the number of convicts picked up in each county is instead given. No records exist for the years 1882-1890.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Transportation vouchers, Financial records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These are discharge vouchers, dating 1861-1911, the bulk are 1884-1910. No vouchers are present from 1872 to 1882, or for 1903. When convicts were discharged, they were issued a small amount of cash, a set of civilian clothes if needed, and fare for transportation to their place of conviction. These vouchers give the convict's name, the amount issued, and beginning in the 1890s, the destination of the convict after discharge. In most of these latter cases, the location of the prisoner at the time of his discharge (camp, main prison, etc.) is also given. Some vouchers will indicate the reason for discharge--expiration of sentence, parole, pardon.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Discharge vouchers, Financial records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records consist of claims against the penitentiary, powers of attorney regarding financial matters, certificates of credit, payrolls for convict overtime work (beginning in the 1880s, convicts were sometimes allowed to work nights and Sundays for wages), estimates for appropriations or building projects, Comptroller's instructions to the financial agent, samples of forms used in the 1860s, an account ledger and daily journal from 1869-1870, and an affidavit documenting the murder of a payroll guard. Dates covered are 1849-1903 and undated.
These records are arranged by type of record and then chronologically within each record type.
(Identify the item), Other records, Financial records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These are legal materials concerning the state penitentiaries and consist of contracts and agreements, deeds and abstracts of title, bonds and oaths, offers and proposals relating to land purchases, and an affidavit relative to the appointment of the East Texas Penitentiary Commissioners. Records are dated 1848-1913 and undated. At one point, most of these materials were part of the Secretary of State records.
These records are organized into five subseries:
(Identify the item and cite the subseries), Legal documents, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These materials consist of contracts and agreements, dating 1866-1913, the bulk dating 1877-1883. The records concern the construction of Rusk, improvements to Huntsville, leasing of the state penitentiaries and state farms, hiring of convict labor, conveying convicts to the penitentiary, supplying provisions, and agreements pertaining to financial transactions. Some contracts may include bonds, or, in the case of construction contracts, specifications. The most significant materials relate to the construction of Rusk and leasing of the penitentiaries.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Contracts and agreements, Legal documents, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These materials consist of deeds and abstracts of title, dating 1848-1878. Deeded are lands on which both state penitentiaries were erected, rights of way, and rock and timber privileges. Deeds to a few state farms can be found in the Secretary of State records, Statuatory Documents series, housed in the State Archives.
These records are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Deeds and abstracts, Legal documents, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These materials consist of bonds and oaths of office of
penitentiary officials, lessees, contractors, and others, dating 1861-1888 and
undated. Also present is a list of bonded lands for sites of the East Texas
Penitentiary. Some contractors' bonds were incorporated as part of a contract.
These are with the contracts in the
These records are arranged alphabetically.
(Identify the item), Bonds and oaths, Legal documents, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These materials consist of offers and proposals regarding
leasing the state penitentiaries, and sale of land for either a branch
penitentiary (Rusk), land adjacent to Rusk, or for state farms. Dates covered
are 1870-1899 and undated. Some offers may include maps or plats of the land in
question, and correspondence. Some of the maps in the
These records are arranged by subject, then chronologically.
(Identify the item), Offers and proposals, Legal documents, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
This series consists of a single affidavit from 1875.
(Identify the item), Other legal documents, Legal documents, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These consist of drawings, specifications, blueprints, and maps
dating 1848-1912, and undated. The maps are largely property plats, probably
accompanying offers and proposals of land for state farms. The other records
concern the construction of the penitentiaries. Included are an original floor
plan for Huntsville, original drawings and specifications for the construction
of Rusk, drawings and blueprints for additions to Huntsville, and
specifications for a sugar mill on a state farm. Specifications which
accompanied contracts remain in the series
Blueprints/drawings are arranged by location of construction; maps are foldered by location and/or date.
(Identify the item), Blueprints and maps, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These materials consist of correspondence, largely concerning the final disposition of the railroad; agreements; claims; bonds of railroad employees; blueprints of railroad cars; a bill of lading certificate book; a receipt book; and a letter press book documenting routine railroad transactions. Dates covered are 1909-1921 and undated.
These records are arranged by type of record.
(Identify the item), Texas State Railroad records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These materials consist of several sets of rules and bylaws, various lists of convicts--which may have been part of a report, a list of employees in the 1860s, copies of documents pertaining to the Burnett and Kilpatrick lease, internal memos, volumes with convict data, and a ledger pertaining to the iron industry at Rusk. The records pertain to the state penitentiary system and the sucessor, the Texas Prison System. Dates covered are 1862-1916 and undated.
These records are arranged by type, then chronologically.
(Identify the item), Miscellaneous records, Records relating to the Penitentiary. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Gives (presumably) the convict's name, another name--probably next of kin, and a locality, probably a place of residence. Entries are chronological, by month, and most entries are associated with Rusk or Camp Rice.
Front of volume provides a description and other information about individual convicts, their residence, and date received. Remainder of volume contains statistical compilations.
This lists the convict's name, date paroled, and where paroled to.