Ever investigate an extremely haunted location in the U.S.? Let's dive into the experience that me and the LRC assistants had investigating the West Virginia Penitentiary 👻
Don't be fooled as this picture does not do this location justice. I took a picture of just one half of the Penitentiary. At night, it appears foreboding and sits directly across from the mound of Moundsville (I will get to that soon).
We were the first ones to get let into the visitors section/shop. I could tell right away that this section was far removed from the spirits who still linger in the Penitentiary itself. This area was filled with various artifacts from the Penitentiary such as shanks, items made by the prisoners back when it was open like artwork and handbags, and more. The Penitentiary was open from 1866-1995. It has seen it's fair share of violence at the hands of prisoners/guards, gang members or in its earlier days public hangings in the gallows.
Now before getting to the nitty gritty, let's cover some history on the Mound across the street - dubbed as the Grave Creek Mound.
This was created over time, but started by the native Adena people back in 150 B.C. This stands at 67 feet high, and 240 feet wide. And yes, there are bodies within this mound along with artifacts.
I personally think the mound is a tad bit creepier aspect than the Penitentiary itself to some degree. It's also nothing like I have ever seen before and I was fascinated. There are steps along the outside leading to the top that you could climb, but I feel that is somewhat disrespectful. Intuitively, I feel like any energy connected to this mound remains either there or beyond and has nothing to do with the energies of the Penitentiary. Now that we have this part of history covered and the tone set, let's get into the gothic style penitentiary and the history that lies within its walls.
Per the 90 minute historical tour we were given, the following points were covered:
- The location housed men and women until the late 40's then a women's facility opened up in a different area - Pence Springs.
- 94 executions were conducted here - most done by hanging until 1949.
- Charles Manson's mother, Kathleen Maddox, was a prisoner here. Charles tried transferring to the Penitentiary when he was locked up in later years, but that request was quickly denied.
- Local townspeople were able to come to this location to drop off their mail or visit the barbershop on site.
- A riot happened here by the prisoners in the '70's about the poor conditions they were forced to live in.
- The penitentiary was on the U.S. Department of Justice's Top Ten Most Violent Correctional facilities list.
- Paranormal TV shows such as Ghost Hunters, Destination Fear and Ghost Adventures have all filmed here.
- TV shows such as Hulu's Castle Rock & Netflix's MindHunter have also filmed on location.
I have been investigating the paranormal professionally for the last 9 years and this is definitely one of the most active locations I have ever stepped into here in the states. Now that we got through the history, let's talk about experiences and impressions.
Picture this - the tour started a bit after 11 PM and ended roughly by 1 AM. We were tired from the 6 hour drive there and knew we were not going to last until 5 AM, but we all agreed depending on the level of activity, we would investigate for at least 1 hour as we had to work the Horror & Para-Con event the following day at 10 AM. Before the tour ended, we heard a few bangs almost like doors had been slammed in the Psych Ward. Little did we know that was a classic foreshadowing for how the rest of the night went!
We started by investigating the Chapel in the courtyard pictured here:
Once one steps into this area, it has a deafening silence to it. I am sure the tall fortress walls have something to do with that. It's pitch black in the penitentiary and in both courtyards, but the creepy aspect is that there were two busses placed in this part - 1 school bus and 1 public bus. As we headed into the chapel, we already knew that the main history that happened in here was that all prisoners were able to practice any faith within the walls - even satanism. Although it was creepy in this small building, we all felt pretty confident that nothing was in this part - energy-wise. We most likely spent around 10-15 minutes in here. As we were leaving the courtyard, I happened to look up and witness a black mist start to dissipate on the wall near the top of a tower looking structure. I took that as pure energy but who knows what or who that could have been...
Now the Penitentiary has ZERO electricity in it so if you didn't have a flashlight, you would be screwed. With or without a flashlight though, you can feel eyes on you at all times. it's a strange feeling for an "empty" place. We wanted to make sure to hit all of the "safer" locations here which included:
- The Chapel
- 2 Cell Block Areas
- The Psych Ward
The second area we chose to investigate was the Psych Ward. I was particularly excited to investigate this area as it was the last stop on the initial tour and 2 doors were heard slamming as if to say "good luck coming through THIS area!". Most people might get spooked by this, and I couldn't have been more intrigued! As soon as we got up there, the energy felt "off" but I couldn't put my finger on it. If I had to guess, it's probably between the energy of the past with what prisoners went through in here mixed with their chaotic mental state. While we stood in the hollow halls, multiple noises were heard from areas far away from us - as if energy was trying to lure us. This went on for a bit but ultimately we decided to leave the area for the cell blocks.
As we made our way there, you can literally feel like you're being watched - even though "nothing" is there. Here are some pictures that I took:
We had two individuals on our team that can see spirits with their eyes and one said the cell areas are littered with prisoners watching in cells and over railings. There are 4 levels of cells. As an intuitive walking around these parts in particular, it's as if you can smell the blood, sweat, tears and fears these prisoners shed over time. In Both of these areas, I felt the hovering of the "what if" scenarios. All I know is, I didn't particularly want to stay hanging around here for too long. I was about to find out why...
My friend Ron was taking pictures with his camera so he decided he wanted to go up a flight of stairs and started walking inward on the cat walk. Now me not being the biggest fan of heights, I took the back with extreme caution and Ron was in front. I do recall not being able to take normal steps up there and my body tensing up. There was a tensity that started to build in the air and I had no choice but to assume this was coming from any energies that was up there with us at the time. It didn't take long before Ron yelled out "Something pushed me. I'm done!". And just like that, I made an about face, and started heading back down the stairs. Unfortunately this wasn't entirely a first for Ron who has even investigating longer than I have, and I'm sure it won't be the last 🤣
We concluded investigating around 2 AM like we thought. Managed to watch some videos and review some pictures from staff, and headed out. I think it's fair to say we all had a blast walking through these hollowed halls and rooms, but we can all agree on one thing - this place is ACTIVE. I can confidently say that if we had stayed longer, we may have had more interaction, but you definitely get trickster vibes from the energies here. I would definitely go back to this location no problem - we definitely have some unfinished investigating to do! I will review my carry-on audio recorded and will do a follow up blog post with my findings. Stay tuned!
I hope you enjoyed reading about our experiences and hope you get the chance to investigate as well if you're interested. If you've been here and done that, leave a comment down below with your stories - I would love to hear them!
For more information or to purchase tour tickets at the Penitentiary, head here: https://wvpentours.com
Stay well and stay weird all! Until next time...
Brittany - Head Creatrix
