Our ghost hunts provide exclusive access to general population, the womens and intense therapeutic community building, death row, the segregation area known as 3-D, the notorious A-Hall and dungeon cells and the gas chamber, where 40 Inmates paid with their lives for crimes in which they were convicted. Tour the spooky halls of the Missouri State Penitentiary and experience a fascinating part of Jefferson Citys history as you walk through the dungeon cells and other areas of the prison. Week in Weird, Legends, Ghosts, Myths and Mysteries Main Page, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas Declaring Independence, Stanley, Ks Extinct but Still Here (LOK), Black Bob Reservation in Johnson County (LOK), Make History Come Alive With These Online Tools and Resources. When it comes to Missouri, the list of places that are thought to be haunted, and worth visiting, is endless. Use of our equipment which includes, trigger objects and EMF Meters. adroll_language = "en_US". Jefferson City became the capital of Missouri in 1822, but in the next decade, there were other towns that were vying for the opportunity to take that status for themselves. The massive stone building is the oldest building at the prison today and its basement, nicknamed the Hole, was a medieval-style dungeon that housed some of the worst criminals, including those on Death Row. 573-632-2820, The old Wardens House at the Missouri State Penitentiary serves as a museum today by Kathy Weiser-Alexander, Haunted Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania, Jefferson City Magazine It is one of only three maximum-security prisons that can be toured today. 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. 1.The Missouri State Penitentiary was one of the oldest operating prisons in the US until it closed in 2004. They know theyre not supposed to be outside, and I thought to myself, you S.O.B., Im going to jump down this guys throat, and I go out there and theres nobody there, he explained. Because of the violence in the penitentiary, it was called the bloodiest 47 acres in America by the Time Magazine in 1967. Cell #48 once housed a prisoner who was known to be a snitch. Book Now Learn More $45 13 and Under Not Permitted 3 hours Ghost The building was used from 1937 until 1989 to execute 40 inmates on death row. 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. Greg crept into the cell and let out an audible whoa, before poking head out of the tiny room. Sitting near the Mississippi River in Jefferson City, Missouri is a square of thick stones walls which surrounds a daunting complex of abandoned buildings. The first building, the A-Hall, was constructed by prisoners in the early 1830s. 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. 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. Check out this article for some of our favorite ideas for Missouri connoisseurs of fear to check out. A-Hall, the prisons oldest building is said to be a hotspot of unearthly activity. Craving more creepiness in the state of Missouri? Nicknamed the "Bloodiest 47 Acres in America". Laster took Warden Wyrick hostage and attempted to escape Missouri State Penitentiary in 1959, attempted escape again in 1960, assaulted a guard and attempted to escape in 1961, stabbed a fellow Inmate in 1968, attempted suicide in 1971, suffered a heart attack in 1975, and spent much of the last years of his life in segregation. So I open it up, and in the meantime, John, the inmate, had stepped out front and was watching me. There was a very noticeable heavy feeling, which was accompanied by varying degrees of anxiety and dizziness. 37,768 were here. The cell contained the crocks used to hold sulfuric acid and later placed under the perforated chair. The Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) opened in 1836 along the banks of the Missouri River in Jefferson City, Missouri, the state capital. The leather restraints that were used to hold the condemned in the chair were also stored in the second cell. Ray escaped Missouri State Penitentiary in 1967 by hiding in a bread truck. Housing Unit 1 is the oldest complete building which still stands today. If so, check out their website to learn more about their tours. Within this building is a basement of dungeons, referred to as the Hole. Here were kept death row inmates, violent and disruptive prisoners, and those suffering from mental problems. While he was still at large, he assassinated Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. 7.5 hours. The others are Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Alcatraz in San Francisco, California. Book a tour of the Missouri State Penitentiary and spend the night searching for paranormal activity. Its also the home of the infamous Hole. At a 500-year-old Tudor manor in Cheshire, Drew vies for a pair of intriguing sculptures. They just pretty much worked a lot of the inmates like slaves; it was pretty brutal, said Tom Wells, who began working as one of the prisons guards in 1989. These cells are believed to have been built in the 1840s as part of Centennial Hall, and these are the oldest discovered cells on the Missouri State Penitentiary grounds. The clock is ticking as they work to provide fresh water, strengthen walls, and jumpstart an indoor garden. Several buildings in Jefferson City, including the first capital, the governors mansion, and several area homes were built using prison labor. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of News Tribune Publishing. After the prison closed, it fell into disrepair before it reopened as a tourist attraction, offering history and paranormal tours. . But with a limited budget and some wacky ideas are they en route for a profit? 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. This area of the cell was site of a grisly murder which took place during one of the prisonsmany riots. How do they power the next generation of race cars that run on electricity? In September 1937, Governor Lloyd Crow Stark signed a bill into law calling for execution by lethal gas. As the problems keep mounting up for Rick, tempers fray at Duncan Creek. Episode: Missouri State Prison Related To: Haunted Travel's Best View The Gallery 1 / 14 The doors of the cells are less than five feet high, which forced prisoners to stoop down and take a subordinate posture when leaving their cells. The prisoners then stole their keys and released other prisoners. All rights reserved. Tours run from March - November each year. In order to help solidify that status, Governor John Miller suggest the construction of a penitentiary. Private time to explore this location and to undertake your very own private vigils. On September 15th, 2004, all remaining Inmates at Missouri State Penitentiary were transferred, and the prison was closed. Missouri State Penitentiary is one of the most intense locations anywhere in the country. All rights reserved. We went on the ghost tour, they had a lot of stories of past experiences. adroll_pix_id = "2QH3FHLJSREPBK2RKQD6NA"; Ghost Hunts USA have exclusive overnight Access to this very haunted and formidable location including cell 76! The penitentiary was decommissioned in 2004 and is now open to the public for tours. 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. 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. Death row inmates were held in a below-ground unit and were isolated from other inmates. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Missouri State Penitentiary Ghost Hunt. Could it be their spirits that still roam the halls and cells? The stone used for the construction of Housing Unit 1 was quarried on-site by prison labor. As such, it should come as no surprise that it is said to be haunted. Book Now Learn More Ages 12+ 2 hours, 3, 5 or 8 hours Photography Private Photography Tours My own strange experience in cell #48 was just one of many. Reviewed June 4, 2012. 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. Charles Sonny Liston Cell at the Missouri State Penitentiary by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. Love Missouri? Thirty-nine were executed in the gas chamber and the final execution was made using lethal injection in 1989. Prior to this criminals in Missouri were executed by public hangings, conducted by the Sheriff in the county were the crime was committed. The group then turned their attention to James Creighton. Missouri State Penitentiary Tours In 1836, the first Inmate, Wilson Eidson, was transferred from green County, Missouri to the newly built penitentiary in Jefferson City. 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.. Organise, control, distribute, and measure all of your digital content. Right here, we have the gas chamber (we never said these tours were going to be pleasant). 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? Meanwhile, Dave buys back one of his first builds, a Karman Ghia. The officers on the roof were finally forced to open fire with machine and riot guns to remove convicts from the prison yard.