The Haunting History of Huntsville
By Heidee Andres
Located just an hour outside Houston lies a town known for three things — its history, hauntings and prisons. Huntsville may not be a big, bustling city, but it is a fascinating place where the past intertwines with the present in eerie harmony.
Huntsville is one of the oldest cities in Texas and was founded around 1935. It was the home of Sam Houston, a general in the Texas Revolutionary War, and home to Sam Houston State University. Beyond the university, Huntsville draws visitors with its quirky cafes and museums that offer glimpses into the city’s historic past. Huntsville is renowned for its haunted sites and its hotspots for paranormal activity. Ghost tours recount eerie tales of the city’s past and sights of cemeteries spark rumors of restless spirits from Huntsville’s early days.
One of the most well-known sites in Huntsville is the Huntsville Unit, or “Walls Unit,” which is the oldest prison in Texas and houses the Texas’ execution chamber. The Walls Unit is said to be a hotspot for paranormal activity because many prisoners have died within its walls. The perimeters of the prison cast a sense of heaviness that sends a chill down one’s spine.
“These locations, the old cotton warehouses, prison hospital, and execution chambers have had many prisoners die,” said Caroline Castillo Crimm, the founder and owner of Historic Tours of Texas. “Even the guards avoid parts of the prison, like the execution chambers, at night because they feel that there is something there.”
Crimm is a retired professor of history from Sam Houston State University and has now dedicated her life to providing tours and reenactments in Texas. She is affiliated with the Texas Historical Commission as a member of the Walker County Historical Commission, providing an abundance of information on the history of her hometown.
“The importance of this prison is the buildings,” Crimm said. “Those buildings, the cotton gins, and execution chambers are still used today.”
Nearly 600 prisoners have been executed at the Walls Unit by lethal injection. Prior to 1964, executions were carried out by electrocution, a practice that began in 1923, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
The chair, infamously nicknamed “Old Sparky,” now resides in the Texas Prison Museum, just 2.5 miles from downtown Huntsville.
There is some debate as to whether the museum itself is haunted. Staff members like Brianna McNeil, a janitor, and Kelly Hampton, a gift shop employee, believe the museum experiences paranormal activity.
“I don’t know if I believe in the paranormal, but I do believe this place is haunted,” McNeil said. “I’ve been in the museum when it’s empty and it gives really weird vibes.”
Hampton said she feels as though she has witnessed some paranormal activity in the museum.
“There is a dresser with a drawer that is always randomly open or lights flickering on and off when no one else is around,” Hampton said.
Others, like David Stacks, the director of the Texas Prison Museum, acknowledge the museum holds historically significant items, such as the pistol that belonged to Bonnie and Clyde or artifacts from the Texas Prison Rodeo, but do not necessarily believe the museum is haunted.
“I do believe in the paranormal, and I do believe that items can hold memories from the past life, but I have never seen anything haunted happen here,” Stacks said.
The workers of The Texas Prison Museum can agree on one thing: the objects in the museum carry countless memories and sorrow, which may be the very reason some of these objects are believed to be haunted.
361 prisoners died in Old Sparky, with some of them pleading their innocence until their last breath, according to Hampton.
“Back then, not everyone was guilty. Some people were thrown into jail unjustifiably for the color of their skin or their sexual orientation,” Hampton said.
Other objects, such as a baby cradle made by an inmate in 1968, or the first rocking chair made at the Ellis Unit wood shop, can occasionally be seen rocking in the empty building, workers say.
“These items have so much attached to them,” Hampton said.
While the paranormality of the museum is up for debate, it leaves a ghostly impression and holds immense historical significance due to the items within it. These items tell the stories of many inmates in Texas history.
One place whose paranormal activity may be less up for debate is at the C.A.T. Cafe Bakery — Coffee, Art, Tea, off of the town square. The cafe resides on the first floor of the old Walker County Jail, where it is said that the old warden used to live. The second floor of the building holds the cells where inmates were kept.
The jailhouse was built in 1935 and was active until the ’70s when it was shut down for outdated technology and unsafe conditions. The jail cells are still intact but not open to the general public.
In 2021, Elizabeth Florer and her daughter Cat McLean purchased the old Walker County Jail to restore and preserve its history and find a location for their cafe.
The idea that the jailhouse could be haunted never bothered Florer. In fact, she embraces it.
“I can feel the many different spirits that live in this building,” Florer said. “Some of the spirits we have are a man named David, another man named Leroy, and a prostitute named Johannas, just to name a few.”
Little bells are strategically scattered throughout the second floor of the jailhouse’s hotspots to catch potential spiritual activity. A couple of bells are placed on the steep staircase leading up to the cells. One bell sits just outside the solitary confinement cell, where the door remains open to not trap spirits, says Florer.
“If there is somebody in there, I don’t want to shut the door on them. You can only imagine how many men sat there lonely and in misery. So we make sure to never shut it all the way,” Florer said.
More bells line the narrow walkway of the jailhouse, with some hung on doorways of the cells and others placed near items deliberately left for the spirits’ enjoyment. These spirits have frequently requested fresh coffee, newspapers, and candy, all of which are left behind for them.
Florer believes the spirits make the jailhouse unique and pose no serious threats. She considered them all to be friendly ghosts.
“All my guys here are always very kind and considerate. They respect us, and we respect them,” Florer said.
Huntsville, Texas, is an old town with great history. Its haunting reputation stems from the fact that many who have shaped the city narrative, have passed away within its borders.
“When you come to an old place like Huntsville, you just get a feeling here,” Crimm said. “There’s no explaining it, but it is just a feeling that the city carries.”
If you go:
Walls Unit
Walls Unit is located at 815 12th St, Huntsville, TX 77348
(Note: The actual prison is not open for visitors but you can walk the perimeter)
The Texas Prison Museum
The museum is located at 491 TX-75 N, Huntsville, TX 77320 and is open Monday-Saturday 10am to 5pm. On Sundays the museum opens from 12 to 5pm.
C.A.T. Cafe Bakery — Coffee, Art, Tea
The C.A.T Cafe is located inside the old Walker County Jail at 1012 University Ave, Huntsville, TX 77320
It is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am to 7pm and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. The Cafe is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
(Note: The second floor is not open to the public, but tickets to the Haunted Huntsville Walking Tours by C.A.T. Cafe Bakery are available online at their website!)
Bus Tour Of Haunted Huntsville And Its Cemeteries
Take a Haunted bus tour of Huntsville with Dr. Carolina Castillo Crimm, available every Friday and Saturday evening!
Call 936–398–6974 for reservations or go online to www.historictoursoftexas.com/tours/bus-tour-of-huntsvilles-haunted-cemeteries
