Beauford H. Jester Complex

History

Previously the complex was known as Harlem, the Harlem Prison Farm, or the Harlem Plantation. The state of Texas purchased the prison farm property in 1885 or 1886. Previously several private plantations based here used convict leasing for labor. This system has been called "slavery by another name", as lessees operated with little oversight by the state as to their treatment of convicts. The plantations included the Harlem Plantation and several adjacent tracts of land. The state essentially assigned room and board to employers who leased convicts; it had few prisons until late in the 19th century.

In 1885 the state opened Harlem I Unit and Harlem II Unit. From July 20, 1888 to August 31, 1907 a post office was located on the prison farm. After the post office closed, the post office in Richmond, Texas handled mail for the prison farm.

In 1908 the State of Texas bought the Riddick Plantation, which was next to the Harlem property. The state incorporated that property into the Harlem Farm.

In September 1913 several prison guards in one of the units punished twelve African-American prisoners by placing them in a 9 ft long, 7 ft wide, and 6 ft high enclosure called "The Hole." The temperature in the enclosure went over 100 F, and convicts asked the guards to let them out. The guards did not let them out, and 8 of the 12 convicts died of suffocation and heat.

In 1925 the prison farm had 5005 acre of land. During that year it had 260 prisoners. The complex was renamed in the 1950s after Governor of Texas Beauford H. Jester.

A spur track of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway opened at the prison farm to load and unload sugarcane that was produced at the farm. The railroad line closed in 1929.

The state expanded the facilities, opening Jester III Unit in July 1982. Jester IV Unit opened in November 1993.

Jester IV Unit was renamed to Wayne Scott Unit in 2021.

Representation in other media

Steven Spielberg's first theatrical release, The Sugarland Express (1974), was set in and partially filmed at the prison complex.

Gallery

File:JesterFarmAerial.PNG|Aerial view of the Jester State Prison Farm, January 27, 2002, U.S. Geographic Survey File:JesterHarlemPrisonFarmFortBendCoTx.png|Topographical map of the Jester Prison Farm, the Central Prison Farm, and Sugar Land Regional Airport, July 1, 1990, U.S. Geological Survey

References

References

1. {{cite gnis
2. (2017-06-25). "PREA Audit Report". [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]].
3. "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Fort Bend County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
4. Ward, Mike. "[https://archive.today/20121210054507/http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/as-prison-closes-could-others-be-next-1730178.html As prison closes, could others be next?]" ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]''. Thursday August 11, 2011. Updated on Friday August 12, 2011. Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
5. Bookman, Marc. "How Crazy Is Too Crazy to Be Executed?" ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)
6. "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Pecan Grove CDP, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
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9. Douglas A. Blackmon, ''Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II'', New York: Doubleday, 2008
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11. "[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/j1.html Jester I Unit]." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
12. "[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/j2.html Vance Unit]." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
13. "[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txpost/fortbend.html POSTMASTERS & POST OFFICES OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS 1846 - 1930]." ''Jim Wheat's POSTMASTERS & POST OFFICES OF TEXAS, 1846 - 1930''. Retrieved on October 12, 2011.
14. "[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/j3.html Jester III Unit]." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved on October 5, 2011.
15. "[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/j4.html Jester IV Unit]." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved on October 5, 2011.
16. (June 2021). "TDCJ to Rename Three Prison Units". [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]].