Red Hat Cell Block

Red Hat Cell Block, Louisiana State Penitentiary
Red Hat Cell Block
Red Hat Cell Block is located in Louisiana
Red Hat Cell Block
Red Hat Cell Block is located in the United States
Red Hat Cell Block
LocationLouisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, Louisiana
Coordinates30°57′56″N 91°36′49″W / 30.96556°N 91.61361°W / 30.96556; -91.61361
Arealess than one acre
Built1935 (1935)
NRHP reference No.03000041[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 20, 2003
The former execution chamber; the electric chair is a replica of the original (Gruesome Gertie)

The Red Hat Cell Block is a former prison housing unit of the Louisiana State Penitentiary in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana which, for a time, also contained the state's execution chamber and electric chair.

After a 1933 escape attempt, prison authorities constructed a new prisoner cell block,[2] a one-story, 30-cell building at Camp E.[3] That cell block, which became the most restrictive inmate housing unit in Angola, was colloquially referred to as "Red Hat",[4] after the red paint-coated straw hats that its occupants wore when they worked in the fields.[5]

After a federal court ordered Louisiana prison authorities to enact reforms at Angola,[2] Warden C. Murray Henderson phased out "Red Hat",[6] and in 1972 Elayn Hunt had "Red Hat" officially closed.[7] Red Hat became a dog kennel.[2] In 1977 Camp J took "Red Hat"'s role as the most restrictive housing unit in Angola.[5] On February 20, 2003, the National Park Service listed the Red Hat Cell Block on the National Register of Historic Places as #03000041.[4]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Stephen J. Crossing Hoffa: A Teamster's Story. Minnesota Historical Society, 2007. 36. Retrieved from Google Books on March 14, 2011. ISBN 0-87351-580-3, ISBN 978-0-87351-580-1.
  3. ^ Sinclair, Billy Wayne and Jodie Sinclair. A Life in the Balance: The Billy Wayne Sinclair Story. Arcade Publishing, 2000. 51. Retrieved from Google Books on October 1, 2010. ISBN 1-55970-555-8, ISBN 978-1-55970-555-4.
  4. ^ a b "20030228.htm." National Park Service. February 28, 2003. Retrieved on March 13, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Biggs, Brooke Shelby. "Camp J, Red Hats, and the Hole." Mother Jones. March 5, 2009. Retrieved on August 25, 2010.
  6. ^ Sinclair, Billy and Jodie Sinclair. A Life in the Balance: the Billy Wayne Sinclair Story. Arcade Publishing, 2000. 132. Retrieved from Google Books on October 28, 2010. ISBN 1-55970-555-8, ISBN 978-1-55970-555-4
  7. ^ Sinclair, Billy and Jodie Sinclair. A Life in the Balance: the Billy Wayne Sinclair Story. Arcade Publishing, 2000. 131. Retrieved from Google Books on October 28, 2010. ISBN 1-55970-555-8, ISBN 978-1-55970-555-4