Stories from the edge of explanation.
About 5 min readFor 119 years, the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville was one of the most violent prisons in America — 94 executions, 36 murders, and cells five feet by seven. It closed in 1995. The ghost hunters arrived almost immediately.
About 4 min readBuilt as a reformatory for young offenders, the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield held men for 94 years, closed in 1990, and was saved from demolition by The Shawshank Redemption. Today it is a museum — and, by reputation, the most haunted building in Ohio.
About 4 min readWhen Eastern State Penitentiary opened in Philadelphia in 1829, it was the most radical prison experiment in the world: solitary confinement as a path to repentance. It held Al Capone, Willie Sutton and thousands of others — and today its ruined cellblocks are said to be among the most haunted places in America.