Card advertising Huntsville State Park with brief descriptive information and a summary of activities, facilities, and other features of the location.

From one o’clock on the afternoon of July 24, 1974, until shortly before ten o’clock the night of August 3, eleven days later, one of the longest hostage-taking sieges in the history of the United States took place in Texas’s Huntsville State Prison. The ringleader, Federico (Fred) Gomez Carrasco, the former boss of the largest drug-running operation in south Texas, was serving life for assault with intent to commit murder on a police officer. Using his connections to smuggle guns and ammunition into the prison, and employing the aid of two other inmates, he took eleven prison workers and four inmates hostage in the prison library. Demanding bulletproof helmets and vests, he planned to use the hostages as shields for his escape. Negotiations began immediately with prison warden H. H. Husbands and W. J. Estelle, Jr., Director of the Texas Department of Corrections. The Texas Rangers, the Department of Public Safety, and the FBI arrived to assist as the media descended on Huntsville. When one of the hostages suggested a moving structure of chalkboards padded with law books to absorb bullets, Carrasco agreed to the plan. The captors entered their escape pod with four hostages and secured eight others to …

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Photograph of the The Woodlands- Sam Houston Home in Huntsville, Texas.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about W. J. Estelle director of the Texas department of corrections who said that two new entrances to the library will be build.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about the Huntsville prison library where scene of an 11 day siege and shootout that left four persons dead.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about the videotape recording of the August third shootout that left four persons dead after an eleven day siege at the prison.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about a walker county jury who is investigating the attempted escape at the Huntsville unit of the Texas prison system which is expected to make its report.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about the walker county grand jury which has issued the first of several planned public reports on its investigation of the Huntsville prison shootout on august third.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about members of the walker county grand jury who visited the Huntsville state prison and inspected the site where 4 persons died during the abortive escape attempt by renegade Fred Gomez Carrasco.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about state Senator chet brooks of Pasadena- chairman of the Texas legislative joint committee on prison reform who says that he is asking for a justice department investigation of the Huntsville prison escape attempt .

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about Walker county grand jury which impaneled convenes to begin its investigation of the circumstances surrounding the escape attempt from the state prison.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about the Texas board of corrections which has been accused of violating the Texas open meetings law when it met in Dallas.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about one of the twelve hostages who was held during the Huntsville siege told a newspaper that she hopes the ordeal will not reflect poorly on prison rehabilitation.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about Texas board of corrections which voted unanimous endorsement of the techniques used by prison officials in preventing a prison escape at Huntsville.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about the 9 members of the Texas board of corrections who met in special session in Dallas gave unanimous approval to the way in which Huntsville state prisons officials handles the 11 day siege at the prison library.

Script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, relating a news story about governor Dolph Briscoe who says that it would be improper for him to order release of the videotape made during the breakout attempt and shootout.