All rights reserved. Nicknamed the "Bloodiest 47 Acres in America". 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. In the video below, youll see the first public paranormal investigation that took place at the old state prison, and its downright fascinating: What do you think? Its at this point you realize that you are now inside one of the most historic and haunted pieces of land to exist anywhere in the country, Missouri State Penitentiary. It features artifacts, photos, and displays about the prison, including a replica cell. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Missouri State Penitentiary Tours Gas Chamber Building at the Missouri State Penitentiary, by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. It was a fascinating and bizarre phenomena but it was what happened next that really startled us. As such, it should come as no surprise that it is said to be haunted. Liston went on to become a renowned heavyweight boxing champion. 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. 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. Go ghost hunting through the eerie halls of the infamous Missouri State Penitentiary on this guided hunt! Alcatraz had less murders within it's walls in it's entire existence, than the Missouri State Penitentiary experienced annually. 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. By 1932 it had grown to be one of the largest prisons in the United States with a population of over 5,000. My own strange experience in cell #48 was just one of many. Missouri State Penitentiary is one of the oldest prisons in the U.S. that still remains standing. There are no tours during December, January or February. In 1925, Charles Arthur Pretty Boy Floyd was transferred to Missouri State Penitentiary after being convicted of a payroll robbery. Death row inmates were held in a below-ground unit and were isolated from other inmates. Early the next morning, 18 men were chosen to lead the way into the cellblocks where about 300 of the rioters were holed up in a forbidding four-story white stone building. When the prison, nicknamed The Walls, was fully completed it was surrounded by a high limestone wall with 15 officer towers. It would be mid-afternoon before the rioters were processed and everyone was returned to their cells. 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. Unlimited refreshments available throughout the night including: Coffee, Coca Cola, Diet Coke, and Bottled Water. Epic Jefferson City Scavenger Hunt: Small Town Beauty! As you enter death row, you might be the one to hear the unexplained knocks and whistles, feel the cool breezes and phantom touches, or come face to face with Bonnie Heady, Carl Hall, Waller Lee Donnell, George Tiny Mercer, or any number of souls who spent their finals days in these tiny cells. 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. Visitors are then given insight into the prisons paranormal and unusual activities as they are guided around the upper yard, into Housing Unit 1 dungeon cells where prisoners were kept in complete darkness and through the basement of death row chambers in Housing Unit 3 until ending the tour inside the prisons gas chamber. Your ghost hunt at Missouri State Penitentiaryincludes the following: Exclusive Access to the most haunted areas. After all, its only a tour of what might easily be the most haunted place in Missouri, if not a top contender for most haunted in the country. In 1950, Charles Sonny Liston, who would later become a heavyweight boxing champion, was sentenced to time in the Missouri State Penitentiaryfor armed robbery. Floyd was granted parole after serving 3.5 years of a five-year sentence. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. 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. Missouri State Penitentiary is one of the oldest prisons in the U.S. that still remains standing. The gas chamber was located at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in a small rock building set apart from the main prison. Missouri State Penitentiary housed around 2,200 prisoners by 1900. In 1991, Missouri State Penitentiary was renamed the Jefferson City Correctional Center. The camera used for this shoot was the Sony A7SII with the Sony FE Zoom 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens. Remaining prisoners with death sentences were transferred out to a prison in Potos to await their punishment. Held within the thick stone walls and ominous buildings of Missouri State Penitentiary is the energy of darkness, extreme violence, and many unimaginable deaths. 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 known as an extremely violent prison on the "bloodiest 47 . The Missouri State Penitentiary opened in 1836 and at one point was nicknamed "The Bloodiest 47 Acres in America." Naturally, Ineeded to investigate. The dungeon in A-Hall of the Missouri State Penitentiary by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. 1.The Missouri State Penitentiary was one of the oldest operating prisons in the US until it closed in 2004. 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. No one in their right mind would want to land in prison. Address: 115 Lafayette Street, Jefferson City, Missouri, 65101. Thirty-nine were executed in the gas chamber and the final execution was made using lethal injection in 1989. Im not going to tell you what I was feeling, I just want you to walk in there and see if you feel the same thing I did.. See more ideas about penitentiary, missouri state, missouri. 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. Or, have a seat in the gas chamber building, where 40 souls walked in and none walked back 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: He must contend with malfunctioning equipment and extreme weather. We went on the ghost tour, they had a lot of stories of past experiences. adroll_adv_id = "ELIPBNE6LNEXLL7YM2YJEE"; Haunting in Cell #48: Investigating Missouri State Penitentiary With Ghost Adventures Nick Groff, LawrenceburgGhostWalksown Jeff Waldridge, you can find hours for their public tours at their official website, including rates for private, all-night lockdowns as well, Check out the official website of the Nick Groff Tour, Accident or Murder? In a press release today from the Jefferson City Convention and . Over the loudspeaker, the convicts were ordered to get into the nearest cell and be quiet or they would be shot. The historic and ominous Missouri State Penitentiary is well-known to be rampant with paranormal activity. The Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) was one of the oldest and longest-running prisons in the US until it closed in 2004. No inmates were able to escape during the incident. The gas chamber was involved in the executions of 39 Inmates between 1937 and 1987, when lethal injection became an option in 1989. At 6:00 pm on September 22, 1954, two Inmates lured a guard into a cell, attacked him, and took his keys. You may decide to enter the former womens unit and intense therapeutic community or general population areas, where you could encounter shadows walking along the tiers, voices calling out from the darkness, or footsteps on the stairs. The others are Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Alcatraz in San Francisco, California. Missouri is full of creepy and scary things that'll make you keep one eye open at all times! Death row inmates did not leave their special death row facility, and all services were brought into the unit. The stone used for the construction of Housing Unit 1 was quarried on-site by prison labor. In South Carolina, flashing lights and a quick decision could make all the difference in Josh's season. Click here to Tours run from March - November each year. Strangely, some have seen or heard the ghosts of children, and others, even a dog. At one point our group was sure we were seeing movement in the darkness at the end of the main hallway, as if people were walking back and forth from one cell to the other. A-Hall at the Missouri State Penitentiary is the oldest building in the complex, by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. A collection of paranormal, historical, and photography tours of Missouri State are available in both public and private capacities for those looking to get a glimpse inside the infamous walls. Hall and Heady were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the crime on November 19, 1953. Wells now leads some of the prison's ghosts tours, and although he considers himself more of a tour guide, his own paranormal experience as a guard has made him a firm . The riot at Missouri State Penitentiary received national attention for being the worst riot to ever take place at any prison in the country. 2023 Discovery Networks International. After the prison closed, it fell into disrepair before it reopened as a tourist attraction, offering history and paranormal tours. Early on, inmates were not allowed to look guards in the eye, an infraction that could result in punishment at the whipping post or solitary confinement. Today, the inmates are long gone, but for those whove spent the night behind its massive stone walls, its clear that their ghosts still linger, angry and as violent as ever. Of course, there's plenty more out there, but those three are the most commonly listed (and highest rated) that Missouri has to offer. A group of Inmates rushed towards Donnells cell, unlocked the door, stabbed him multiple times, then crushed his skull with a sledgehammer. Ghost Hunt with experienced Ghost Hunting Team. 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. The museum also offers guided tours of the historic former prison. adroll_version = "2.0"; It was like wearing a backpack filled with bricks, but only in that specific cell. Face the ghosts of the most infamous prisoners in the dark! There was a very noticeable heavy feeling, which was accompanied by varying degrees of anxiety and dizziness. In 1937, the prison gas chamber building was built by prison inmates using stone from the prison quarry. As the new abalone season begins a new crew are on the hunt for valuable abalone. Tell us all about your experiences in the comments! The guestin question had been snapping photosof one of the most infamous cells in A-Hall: Cell #48. They also report having felt dread, a sense of sorrow, and feeling of being watched. 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