Wetumpka State Penitentiary

Wetumpka State Penitentiary
Main building at the turn of the 20th century
Map
LocationWetumpka, Alabama
Coordinates32°33′2″N 86°11′28″W / 32.55056°N 86.19111°W / 32.55056; -86.19111
StatusClosed
Opened1842 (1842)
Closed1942
Alabama State Penitentiary
Area3 acres (1 ha)
Built1839–41
ArchitectW.H. Thomas
NRHP reference No.73000342[1]
Added to NRHPMay 8, 1973

The Wetumpka State Penitentiary (WSP), originally known as the Alabama State Penitentiary, was the first state prison established in Alabama.[2] Built on the east bank of the Coosa River in Wetumpka, it was nicknamed the "Walls of Alabama" or "Walls". For much of its operation, the prison housed both men and women, kept in separate sections of the prison.[3]

For a period beginning in the 1920s this prison was used exclusively for women. After a new women's prison was opened a mile away in 1942, the state housed fewer prisoners at the aging Wetumpka facility. It began to sell off parcels of land. The historic site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1973.[1] All buildings on the site have been demolished since the late 20th century.

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Tutwiler Prison for Women". Alabama Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 5, 2010.
  3. ^ "ADOC History." Alabama Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 6, 2010.