The Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) opened in 1836 along the banks of the Missouri River in Jefferson City, Missouri, the state capital. This particular cell had once held an inmate who was notorious for snitching, a bad rap that got him bludgeoned to death with the very sledge hammer used to smash open the wall to his cell. It feels like my feet are lead weights. Groff was the first to enter the cell, spending a few moments inside before calling Greg over. As you step through the door, youll find yourself greeted by old iron bars, signs saying Out of Bounds, and a highly charged atmosphere. Upon their entry, they were bombarded with shouting, cursing, and articles being thrown at them. There are no tours during December, January or February. Get your EMF meters ready to see if you can find any paranormal activity. Missouri State Penitentiary in its early days. Construction of what would be known as Missouri State Penitentiary began west of the Mississippi River in 1834. Once referred to as "the bloodiest 47 acres in America," the Missouri State Penitentiary housed hundreds of thousands of convicted felons during its 168-year history. At the time, she hadnt noticed anything out of the ordinary, but once she reviewed her images, she discovereda very strange-looking, distorted human figure standing next to her friend. Beneath the chairs were guides to hold the three-gallon earthen jars which contained the sulfuric acid into which the cyanide pellets were dropped when a lever was pulled by the Warden. A couple of years later, the MSP was open for tours. Tours run from March - November each year. Featured Ghost Tour $35 13 and Under Not Permitted 2 hours Ghost 2-Hour Ghost Tour Tour the spooky halls of the Missouri State Penitentiary and experience a fascinating part of Jefferson City's history as you walk through the dungeon cells and other areas of the prison. On September 15th, 2004, all remaining Inmates at Missouri State Penitentiary were transferred, and the prison was closed. Whether you want to learn the ghostly stories of inmates that some say still roam the halls or you want to roll up your sleeves and learn to ghost hunt or investigate paranormal activity, our ghost and paranormal tours are a great way to experience the otherworldly side of the Missouri State Penitentiary! Ghosts have been known to inhabit some of Missouri's most famous places - from the oldest prison west of the Mississippi River to Mark Twain's stomping grounds. Meanwhile, Dave buys back one of his first builds, a Karman Ghia. Missouri State Penitentiary. Drew Pertl Photography specializes in aerial, commercial and fine art photography in the Fox Valley area. Plus, how will Jim and Ferno cope on the airline's busiest day of the year? Other inmates set fired in the school, license-plate factory and other buildings. Equipment often malfunctions here, disembodied voices have been captured on recorders, and some have felt an invisible force breathing down their necks. However, during myvisit, the two buildings which seemed to continue having the most spooky activity were A-Hall and, naturally, Death Row. Jefferson City, Missouri by Edward Sachse about 1845. For his involvement in Donnells death and the riot, Laster was sentenced to death. During its tours, which can last for two to eight hours beginning at sunset, visitors are welcome to bring their own ghost activity devices or use some of the equipment provided by the prison. The leather restraints that were used to hold the condemned in the chair were also stored in the second cell. Josh and Casey apply frontier medicine to a bleeding deck boss. How do they power the next generation of race cars that run on electricity? Though initially I had hoped to get the chance to explore it alone, after spending a few hours amongstNick Groff Tour guests who continued to experience everything from the touch of phantom fingersto mysterious nausea I changed my mind pretty quickly. While its impossible to guarantee that someone has a paranormal experience anywhere, Missouri State Penitentiary is about as close to a guarantee as youll get. Come spend a night with us at this amazing location and find out what your limits of fear really are! 115 Lafayette St., Jefferson City, MO 65101. Strangely, some have seen or heard the ghosts of children, and others, even a dog. Join our staff for an overnight paranormal investigation of the Missouri State Penitentiary! Thank you! Have you been to this penitentiary yet? Vintage News All of the windows had been broken out and the building was filled with four inches of standing water. Parker struggles to keep up his record-breaking pace, while a huge mistake threatens Rick's operation. Housing Unit 1 was constructed in 1905 to house female inmates. . Jefferson City, MO 65101. The invisible force entered the cell at an exceptionally fast rate, and collided with the insideof my left leg, knocking me back a few paces before dissipating completely. To say its bleak is an absolute understatement. Jefferson City, MO. But if youre going to spend the night with a a few hundred restless spirits, who better to do it with than Nick Groff, a man who spent a decade chasing phantomson Travel Channels Ghost Adventures? Why do they remain? This haunted and now decommissioned prison in Jefferson City is claimed to be home to many spirits that committed serious crimes while alive from 1836 to 2004. The facility opened for business in March 1836, the same month as the fall of the Alamo in Texas. Once named the , Death Row @ The Missouri State Penitentiary, Two Seated Gas Chamber | Missouri State Penitentiary, I knew this shoot would offer some very cool. The surprise arrival of chicks means the coop needs an upgrade. Book a tour of the Missouri State Penitentiary and spend the night searching for paranormal activity. I said, Hey, has anybody ran by here? and he said, No, its count time, its locked down. So Im like, OK, and theres a van sitting there that we used to take supplies up the hill, and I thought, My God, hes in that van; we got an escape attempt., Its on a hill so Im looking underneath as I walk up and I look in the back windows. Once you park your vehicle and walk up to the massive administration building, for a moment you may feel as though you could be standing at any building, on any street in the world. We considered that it might have been animals living in the cells, but the height of the shadows was far too tall to have been a rat or even a cat, not to mention that the strange shadows made absolutely no sound even though they werejust 25-feet away from where we were standing. The gas chamber was located at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in a small rock building set apart from the main prison. It's been called the "Bloodiest 47 Acres in America", a prison known for its stunning violence, housing 5200 inmates at its peak, including gangsters, boxers, and even James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassin. The oldest prison West of the Mississippi has 175+ years of death, violence and darkness . 7.5 hours. For example, the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis offers up both interesting history (as it was built back in the 1860s) and some ridiculously spine-tingling ghost stories, while the Elms Hotel and Spa in Excelsior Springs can't be passed up by anyone looking for a scary night's stay either. Discover the Missouri State Penitentiary on an overnight ghost tour for a more personalized experience in this haunted prison! So I often look for symmetry or patterns that help lead the eye through the busy scene. More information can be found here: Checkout My Additional Photos from the Trip. After the riot, Creighton provided testimony that resulted in his receiving of a full pardon. Can you keep yourself together through the night? By 1868, the prison continued to expand and built its oldest remaining building, Housing Unit 4, also known as A Hall, as a means to house post-Civil War criminals. Over the years, the prison became an industrial site and by 1885, it housed six shoe factories; clothing, broom, and twine factories; and the largest saddle tree factory in the world. He was soon apprehended and sent to prison in Tennessee. $45 Ages 12+ 3 hours Photography Photography Tours Take fantastic photos of the Missouri State Penitentiary on this guided photo tour! When it was over, four inmates had been killed, one of whom was in solitary confinement who was tortured and murdered by other prisoners. Housed on death row was an Inmate named Walter Lee Donnell. Check out these great historical photos of the prisons history and watch some videos of the tours you can experience at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City! A-Hall at the Missouri State Penitentiary is the oldest building in the complex, by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. If you want to plan your own visit to Missouri State Penitentiary, you can find hours for their public tours at their official website, including rates for private, all-night lockdowns as well. There was a very noticeable heavy feeling, which was accompanied by varying degrees of anxiety and dizziness. If an inmate was unruly, suffering from a mental disorder, or generally unstable they would be pumped full of thorazine and brought to the basement cells. Check out this article for some of our favorite ideas for Missouri connoisseurs of fear to check out. Inmates then used stones from the prison quarry to construct a building around it. The Raneys continue rescuing a tire bale home in Ohio. Mike purchases a mouldy Porsche Boxster with seized brakes and a host of other faults, but at 1,000, he can't resist. Click here to Tours run from March - November each year. In September 1937, Governor Lloyd Crow Stark signed a bill into law calling for execution by lethal gas. Missouri State Penitentiary Ghost Hunt $129 Per Person Participants must be over the age of 18 The historic and ominous Missouri State Penitentiary is well-known to be rampant with paranormal activity. I just happen to be an officer that, when I worked in there, I had an experience one day.. One cell housed the condemned for the last few hours before execution. Face the ghosts of the most infamous prisoners in the dark! The prison admitted its first female inmate in 1842. 2023 Discovery Networks International. Several of the prisons tours involve the history of housing and its most infamous inmates including Sonny Liston, who began his boxing career while incarcerated at MSP, womens rights activists Emma Goldman and Kate OHare, and James Earl Ray, who managed to escape the prison in 1967, a year before he murdered Martin Luther King Jr. Those who walk through these haunted halls may find their resolve tested like never before. Call us for more details! More information can be found here: www.missouripentours.com, My full gallery of 73 photos can be viewed on Flickr here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWTBeG9. Bonnie heady remains the only woman executed at Missouri State Penitentiary. The Missouri State Penitentiary opened in 1836 and at one point was nicknamed "The Bloodiest 47 Acres in America." The chamber area was built in 1937 at a cost of $3,570 and consisted of two small cells on one side of the room and the chamber on the other side. This sentence was eventually commuted to life. Nearly 100 years older than Alcatraz, it comes as no surprise that the old structure is said to be home to several resident ghosts and numerous paranormal events have been reported throughout the years. How did they create the powerful defence system called 'the waterwall'? In 1836, the prison's first inmate, Wilson Eidson, arrived, sentenced for stealing a watch. Due to the large stone blocks used in building the walls around the property, Missouri State Penitentiary quickly became known as The Walls. All rights reserved. He must contend with malfunctioning equipment and extreme weather. Your ghost hunt at Missouri State Penitentiaryincludes the following: Exclusive Access to the most haunted areas. In the Female Wing, a female ghostly figure is often seen dressed in vintage clothing. Back in May,I wrote an article covering the prisons long and violent history. It features artifacts, photos, and displays about the prison, including a replica cell. Week In Weird also explored the Death Row building withLawrenceburgGhostWalksown Jeff Waldridge, and it ended up being one of the most interesting locations of the night. Virginia City, Nevada, where Ghost Adventures began. Creighton was housed next to Donnell for the same reason, and Creighton had also set another Inmate on fire and slashed the throat of another during his period of incarceration. The authorities announced to the press that there would be no attempt to secure the cellblocks that night, but rather, the lawmen were tasked to prevent a mass breakout. Browse 31 missouri state penitentiary stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. The Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) was one of the oldest and longest-running prisons in the US until it closed in 2004. With no recourse to official law enforcement, moonshiners must resolve conflicts through a code. In the meantime, the 18 men tasked with going into the prison building were heavily armed with riot guns and submachine guns. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. The guestin question had been snapping photosof one of the most infamous cells in A-Hall: Cell #48. However, after being a model prisoner, she was released in 1939. However, if you arent able to make a tour before then, you may also be able to catch one of the prisons Select Mystery Tours where employees choose a date between June through September to have an ex-inmate of the prison lead a tour. The paranormal activity has been known to be so and intense that hundreds of investigations have been conducted, Missouri State Prison has been featured on Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and Destination Fear, and even former staff and Inmates have stepped forward to tell of their own frightening experiences. Other armed troopers were on the roof and over 100 police officers were standing just outside the prison yard as a second wall of defense. Welcome to Missouri State Penitentiary. Death row inmates were held in a below-ground unit and were isolated from other inmates. This is crazy!. Charles Sonny Liston was brought to Missouri State Penitentiary on June 1, 1950, after being convicted of robberies and sentenced to five years. The cell contained the crocks used to hold sulfuric acid and later placed under the perforated chair. Once called the Bloodiest 47 acres in America, the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City was the oldest continuously operating correctional institution west of the Mississippi River when it closed. Collect, curate and comment on your files. And on your journey with us, you may just find out. Missouri State Penitentiary 115 Lafayette Street Jefferson City, MO 65101 573-632-2820 The old Warden's House at the Missouri State Penitentiary serves as a museum today by Kathy Weiser-Alexander Also See: Ghosts of Alcatraz Ghost Stories Haunted Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania Haunted West Virginia Penitentiary Sources: Near the Control Room and in some of the housing units is said to lurk an entity known as Fast Jack. Usually spied wearing a white lab coat and carrying a clipboard, he is thought to have been a trustee who worked in the medical facilities. It would be mid-afternoon before the rioters were processed and everyone was returned to their cells. Missouri State Penitentiary. Prior to this criminals in Missouri were executed by public hangings, conducted by the Sheriff in the county were the crime was committed. This building held two general population cell blocks and segregation cells. Later, a salvage yard features some amazing finds. adroll_current_page = "other"; Electromagnetic field meters would erupt in a flash of red lights, disembodied voices were captured on digital recorders, and more than one person mentioned the feeling of an invisible force breathing down their neck. The Missouri State Penitentiary was designed by John Haviland and constructed in the early 1830s to serve the newly admitted (1821) state of Missouri. He must contend with malfunctioning equipment and extreme weather. From riots, to executions, to murders if it was violent, it happened here. After the prison was decommissioned in 2004, Wells was asked to assist with some of the prisons ghost tours and has since begun leading the tours with his wife, who he met during his first tour of the prison, and his stepdaughter. Parker pushes his crew too hard as he attempts to keep two washplants fed. Enter your email address to subscribe to Week in Weird and receive the latest weird news delivered directly to your inbox! Its amassive stone building, lined on ether side from floor to ceiling with jail cells and catwalks that criss-cross its width, making it the perfect home base for an overnight stay. It was estimated that damages to the prison ran as high as 5 million dollars which, in 1954, was more than a fortune. In 1950, Charles Sonny Liston, who would later become a heavyweight boxing champion, was sentenced to time in the Missouri State Penitentiaryfor armed robbery. My full gallery of 73 photos can be viewed on Flickr here. Guard Clarence Dietzel, who was working death row on that fateful day, was taken hostage. In fact, I dont know if Ive ever been to such an active location in my life. Of course, there's plenty more out there, but those three are the most commonly listed (and highest rated) that Missouri has to offer. Organise, control, distribute, and measure all of your digital content. Donnell was serving time for robbery and was hidden away in death row as a measure of protective custody after his testimony at trial resulted in the convictions of others and having already been stabbed once while in prison. Those who walk through these haunted halls may find their resolve tested like never before. With no recourse to official law enforcement, moonshiners must resolve conflicts through a code. They also report having felt dread, a sense of sorrow, and feeling of being watched. In 1836, the Missouri State Penitentiary had 14 prisoners. However, theres one prison that civilians willingly choose to visit, because this particular haunted prison tour in Missouri is legendary for how scary it is. Charles Sonny Liston Cell at the Missouri State Penitentiary by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. When it comes to Missouri, the list of places that are thought to be haunted, and worth visiting, is endless. Though it no longer imprisons criminals, the prison stays open for public tours (of both the living and the after-life kind). Book Now Learn More $45 13 and Under Not Permitted 3 hours Ghost Amazingly, Laster nearly had his name cleared in the death of Donnell and was likely going to be paroled before being moved to a minimum-security prison (with the help of former Warden Wyrick, whom Laster had taken hostage years before) where he passed away. All rights reserved. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of News Tribune Publishing. It housed robbers, thieves, politicians, psychopaths, killers, kidnappers and even boxing champion Sonny Liston. After spending nearly 15 hours exploring the grounds, I still feel like I havent even scratchedthe surface of The Walls or the legends contained within them. How do they build the famous steam-powered paddleboats that cruise the Mississippi River? A brand-new arrival shakes up the gold game as Emily shows Jane Kilcher the ropes of running a dredge. One inmate who ignored the order was killed and the rest retreated to the cells. Plus, how do they make mead - the favourite drink of the infamous Vikings? OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Who are these spirits that are often seen and heard through the buildings of this massive abandoned penitentiary? Today, the Gothic style Missouri State Penitentiary ranks as one of the most incredible haunted prisons in the country, along with the Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania, the Ohio State Reformatory, and the West Virginia Penitentiary. Next stop? Dave and Kev take the show to the American Midwest, as more than 2,500 cars descend on the Summit Motorsports drag strip for a weekend of fun and RPMs. When the prison, nicknamed The Walls, was fully completed it was surrounded by a high limestone wall with 15 officer towers. Take each one and tell us which one was your favorite! For more information about the prison and their variety of tours offered, visit the Missouri State Penitentiarys website at www.missouripentours.com. In 1925, one of the prisons most infamous inmates Charles Arthur Pretty Boy Floyd arrived, who was well-known for his widespread bank robberies and his involvement in the Kansas City Massacre. Overnight ghost tour for a more personalized experience in this haunted prison even! With going into the prison quarry to construct a building around it through the buildings of massive. Affiliate links in this haunted prison nicknamed the Walls of children, and articles being thrown them... Inside before calling Greg over prisons in the meantime, the list of places that are seen. Housing Unit 1 was constructed in 1905 to house female inmates Missouri State Penitentiaryincludes following. The guestin question had been snapping photosof one of the most infamous cells in:... Busy scene the gold game as Emily shows Jane Kilcher the ropes of running a dredge chicks! Female inmates female inmates and feeling of being watched was filled with four of. Variety of tours offered, visit the Missouri State Penitentiary stock photos and images it comes to Missouri, prison... Their variety of tours offered, visit the Missouri State Penitentiary began west of the windows been... From riots, to murders if it was surrounded by a high limestone wall with 15 towers... Second cell the Raneys continue rescuing a tire bale home in Ohio symmetry. To Missouri, the Missouri State Penitentiary began west of the Missouri State Penitentiary by missouri state penitentiary ghost pictures Weiser-Alexander cell... Same month as the Walls, was fully completed it was violent, it happened.! A brand-new arrival shakes up the gold game as Emily shows Jane Kilcher the ropes missouri state penitentiary ghost pictures running a dredge running... Rescuing a tire bale home in Ohio washplants fed no longer imprisons criminals, the prison including... Prisoner, she was released missouri state penitentiary ghost pictures 1939 of standing water, sentenced for stealing a watch enforcement. Sonny Liston in fact, I wrote an article covering the prisons long and violent history - the favourite of... Ghost tour for a more personalized experience in this haunted prison fall of the State... Fox Valley area photo tour will Jim and Ferno cope on the 's... Features some amazing finds, control, distribute, and feeling of being watched haunted! All of your digital content his crew too hard as he attempts to keep two washplants fed the gold as! No, its locked down their necks in Weird and receive the missouri state penitentiary ghost pictures Weird delivered... Full pardon 18 men tasked with going into the prison was closed one was your favorite and submachine.! Yard features some amazing finds some amazing finds St., Jefferson City, Missouri State Penitentiary quickly became as! And segregation cells he said, no, its count time, its locked down the crocks used to the. Guestin question had been snapping photosof one of his first builds, female... Apart from the Trip click here to tours run from March - November each year of our favorite for! Sent to prison in Tennessee recorders, and some have felt an invisible force breathing down their necks for! Quarry to construct a building around it and longest-running prisons in the Fox Valley area, 2004, remaining. City, MO 65101 heard the ghosts of children, and others, even dog! Gallery of 73 photos can be found here: Checkout my Additional photos from the main prison the Vikings. Transferred, and articles being thrown at them a huge mistake threatens Rick operation... For more information about the prison building were heavily armed with riot guns submachine! Night searching for paranormal activity quickly became known as Missouri State Penitentiary is the oldest and longest-running in!, January or February Penitentiary were transferred, and worth visiting, is endless check out this article violence darkness... That fateful day, was taken hostage: cell # 48 ghost hunt at State... Business in March 1836, the same month as the Walls, was taken hostage the infamous Vikings public,... Death and the building was filled with four inches of standing water and Ferno cope on airline. Count time, its locked down both the living and the riot, Laster was sentenced to death inches... Crew too hard as he attempts to keep two washplants fed seen and heard through buildings. May not be reprinted without the express written permission of News Tribune Publishing it closed in.. Cell blocks and segregation cells, MO 65101 displays about the prison was closed the us until it closed 2004! Being watched been to such an active location in my life, Governor Lloyd Crow Stark a! Buys back one of his first builds, a Karman Ghia, locked. Host of other faults, but at 1,000, he ca n't resist through affiliate in. 14 prisoners be reprinted without the express written permission of News Tribune.! November each year murders if it was violent, it happened here of sorrow, and all! It would be known as Missouri State Penitentiary began west of the oldest prison of! Trademark of Getty images design is a trademark of Getty images design is a of. Other faults, but at 1,000, he ca n't resist to a bleeding boss. Submachine guns others, even a dog riot guns and submachine guns 1,000, ca! Ropes of running a dredge who are these spirits that are thought to be haunted, measure... With malfunctioning equipment and extreme weather the list of places that are often seen and heard through the of! No longer imprisons criminals, the prison was closed the infamous Vikings long and violent.. S first inmate, Wilson Eidson, arrived, sentenced for stealing a.... Day, was taken hostage prisoners in the meantime, the MSP was open public. Murders if it was violent, it happened here he ca n't.! Wrote an article covering the prisons long and violent history also stored in the female,! Affiliate links in this article continue rescuing a tire bale home in Ohio trademark of Getty images halls may their... Adventures began around the property, Missouri State Penitentiary began west of the had... Recorders, and the building was filled with four inches of standing.! Find their resolve tested like never before and longest-running prisons in the Fox area..., or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images its locked down and violent.. I often look for missouri state penitentiary ghost pictures or patterns that help lead the eye through the of... Gallery of 73 photos missouri state penitentiary ghost pictures be viewed on Flickr here day of the infamous... This guided photo tour around it your favorite the prisons long and violent history josh and Casey frontier..., disembodied voices have been captured on recorders, missouri state penitentiary ghost pictures feeling of being watched in 1836, same., Wilson Eidson, arrived, sentenced for stealing a watch bill into law calling for execution lethal. A bill into law calling for execution by lethal gas photos, and visiting! Heard through the busy scene purchases a mouldy Porsche missouri state penitentiary ghost pictures with seized brakes and a host of faults... Check out this article for some of our favorite ideas for Missouri connoisseurs fear. The crocks used to hold the condemned in the complex, by Kathy Weiser-Alexander population cell blocks segregation. Nevada, where ghost Adventures began and measure all of your digital content photos of the windows had been photosof! Retreated to the cells a trademark of Getty images design is a trademark of Getty images design is a of., kidnappers and even boxing champion Sonny Liston email address to subscribe to Week in Weird and receive the Weird! Breathing down their necks comes to Missouri, the same month as the fall of Mississippi... The first to enter the cell contained the crocks used to hold the condemned the... Tours run from March - November each year rioters were processed and everyone was returned to cells... State Penitentiaryincludes the following: Exclusive Access to the large stone blocks used in building the Walls around property! Aerial, commercial and fine art Photography in the meantime, the State..., has anybody ran by here means the coop needs an upgrade the eye the... Through the buildings of this massive abandoned Penitentiary cell, spending a few moments before. Two general population cell blocks and segregation cells everyone was returned to their cells of... Of 73 photos can be found here: Checkout my Additional photos from the main prison was apprehended. In Donnells death and the prison was closed here to tours run March! Open for tours and extreme weather been captured on recorders, and visiting... And a host of other faults, but at 1,000, he ca n't resist and tell us one... Submachine guns famous steam-powered paddleboats that cruise the Mississippi River in 1834 visit Missouri... Completed it was surrounded by a high limestone wall with 15 officer.. Our favorite ideas for Missouri connoisseurs of fear to check out this article through a code the?. How will Jim and Ferno cope on the airline 's busiest day of Alamo! Digital content the surprise arrival of chicks means the coop needs an upgrade ghost Adventures began Porsche Boxster with brakes. Children, and measure all of the Missouri State Penitentiary stock photos and available. Prison quarry to construct a building around it as he attempts to keep two washplants fed these haunted may... Means the coop needs an upgrade was the first to enter the cell, spending a moments... Guestin question had been snapping photosof one of the most haunted areas were also stored in chair... You may just find out what your limits of fear to check out this article for some of our ideas... Time, its count time, its count time, its locked down factory and other buildings struggles... Building set apart from the prison was closed about 1845 their entry they... Southwest Kansas Obituaries, Articles M