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Wetumpka State Penitentiary

Wetumpka, Italy

Wetumpka State Penitentiary

The Wetumpka State Penitentiary (WSP), originally known as the Alabama State Penitentiary, was the first state prison established in Alabama, United States. 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 priso

n housed both men and women, kept in separate sections of the prison. 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. All buildings on the site have been demolished since the late 20th century.

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