Joe Byrd Cemetery

Joe Byrd Cemetery, which is infomally known as "Peckerwood Hill," is the burial ground for inmates at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice whose bodies were unclaimed by their families. The Cemetery contains the remains of over 2000 men and women who died from natural causes and execution as well as escape attempts.

The Cemetery is named for Capt Joe Byrd, Assistant Warden, who restored the formerly neglected Cemetery in 1963. Burials continue weekly and are attended by family members and the inmate burial crew.

History

The earliest marked grave was in 1870, but the earliest burials of convicts from the Huntsville (Walls) Unit probably occurred in th 1850s shortly after the pentitentiary was established in Huntsville in 1848. The deed conveying ownership of approximately 22 acres to Texas Governor John Ireland by Sanford Gibbs and George W. Grant describes the land as “the same upon which convicts from the state penitentiary have been buried since the establishment of said institution, said Burial Ground having been located there by mistake.”

The earliest graves were marked with wooden crosses, but when the Cemetery was restored in 1963 only about 300 of the 923 located graves could be identified. All known graves are marked by simple concrete crosses and tablets, giving the Cemetery a tidy but austere appearance.

The cemetery contains the graves of many infamous inmates, but the most notable marker recounts the story of Kiowa Chief Satanta who committed suicide while incarcerated in 1878. His remains were removed to Oklahoma in 1963.

Getting There

The Joe Byrd Cemetery is located on Bowers Blvd. between Sycamore Avenue and Bearkat Blvd., Huntsville, TX a half block east of Sam Houston State University's Don Sanders Baseball Stadium.

You can also tap "Directions" above and use your smart phone's mapping app to find the location and obtain directions.

Hours

The Cemetery is open to the public during daylight hours.