Country United States County Fort Bend ZIP codes 77406 Elevation 24 m Local time Saturday 12:40 AM | State Texas Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) Area code(s) 713, 281, and 832 Zip code 77406 | |
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Weather 20°C, Wind N at 5 km/h, 95% Humidity | ||
The Jester State Prison Farm refers to a complex of Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisons for men in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas. Individually they are Jester I Unit, Carol Vance Unit (Jester II Unit), Jester III Unit, and Jester IV Unit.
Contents
Map of Harlem, Texas 77406, USA
Texas State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway) bisects the prison property. Cornfields surround the Jester property.
A portion of the property is within the Pecan Grove CDP.
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 the property held several private plantations that used convict leasing. The plantations included the Harlem Plantation and several adjacent tracts of land. Harlem I Unit and Harlem II Unit opened in 1885.
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 door 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 feet 3 inches (2.82 m) long, 7 feet 3.5 inches (2.223 m) wide, and 6 feet 11.5 inches (2.121 m) high enclosure called "The Hole." The temperature in the enclosure went over 100 °F (38 °C), 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.
In 1925 the prison farm had 5,005 acres (2,025 ha) of land. During that year it had 260 prisoners. The complex received its current name, after Governor of Texas Beauford H. Jester, in the 1950s.
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.
Jester III Unit opened in July 1982. Jester IV Unit opened in November 1993.