Looking for a change of pace this summer? These five, former American prisons are rich with history and ghost stories. Of course, they no longer house inmates, but they all welcome curious guests during tour seasons. All five prisons are featured on Syfy Channel’s, Ghost Hunters and have made multiple appearances on competing paranormal shows. Each facility has its own unique story to tell and it is definitely one you do not want to miss!
Located in San Francisco Bay off the coast of San Francisco, California stands the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. The 22-acre structure housed America’s toughest criminals for twenty-nine years. Within “The Rock’s” short lifetime as a Federal Penitentiary, several famous inmates served time there including mobster Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert Stroud, who was otherwise known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz.” The island now serves as a museum and attracts more than one million tourists every year.
Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, lays “the world’s first, true, penitentiary.” Eastern State Penitentiary was one of the most expensive buildings of its time, but soon became one of the most famous prisons. This National Historic Landmark also housed Al Capone for a time. In the beginning days of Eastern State, every inmate had his own cell. Capone, however, had a much more elaborate cell with his own lamps, desk and club chair. After 142 years of operation, the facility closed its doors to inmates. The 11-acre prison now welcomes tourists all year round.
Housed in Jefferson City, Missouri is the massive Missouri State Penitentiary. The penitentiary was the first Missouri state prison, west of the Mississippi river and was once the largest prison in the United States, housing 5,200 inmates and occupying 47 acres. The facility features a gas chamber that executed 39 people in its lifetime. The prison also housed James Early Ray, who intelligently escaped from the prison. He was later convicted of the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Missouri State Penitentiary closed in 2004 and offers tours of the facility.
In Mansfield, Ohio sits the 121-year-old Ohio State Reformatory. The prison opened its doors in 1896 with the goal of reforming inmates, instead of housing them to rot. Upon entering the walls, inmates were assigned a job inside the prison in order to teach them a skill that they could use when their time was up, in hopes of reducing the number of repeat offenders. The Ohio State Reformatory is notorious for its Hollywood appearances. The building served as a backdrop for The Shawshank Redemption and parts of Air Force One, Tango, and Cash, and Harry and Walter go to New York and is featured in countless music videos. The prison is also home to the world’s tallest, freestanding, steel, cell block, which stands six tiers high. The last inmates were moved out of the facility on December 31, 1990. Today, only the main building of the prison remains but welcomes tourists of all ages to explore the facility and museum.
West Virginia State Penitentiary
West Virginia State Penitentiary can be found in Moundsville, West Virginia. After many riots and prison breaks, the gothic style, stone structure was forced to close due to a ruling by the Supreme Court that named the cells cruel and unusual punishment. Before closing its doors, the prison is recorded to have reached maximum capacity housing 2,000 inmates. Within its lifetime, the prison executed 94 inmates by hanging or electrocution. The building has been featured on ten different TV shows because of its apparent paranormal activity. The grounds are now a training site for law enforcement as well as a hit tourist attraction.
