Mood:
caffeinatedNow Playing: The stories of Moundsville State Penitentiary
Topic: Moundsville's Ghosts?
Probably the most celebrated haunting in all of West Virginia is the state penitentiary located in Moundsville, WV. During this past July, a friend and I took a road trip north from Morgantown to this sleepy little town on the Ohio, and decided to look for ourselves.
Upon arriving, we found that the GPS battery had died, so we ended up searching for the Adena Mound in town, which is directly across from the former penitentiary. I'm not trying to put down the importance to WV heritage of the penitentiary, but I found the mound to be more spiritually profound than the Victorian prison. There is something more comforting about sitting on a burial mound than trapsing through a haunted former prison, but that is my own personal choice. I actually liked both locations for different reasons.
It was a warm, sunny day and we found the former penitentiary quite easily. It was well-marked and was the biggest building in town.
The prison is quite large, and quite famous for its ghosts. Even from the outside, you could almost feel the stares from outside the prison windows.
According to the stories, the most haunted area of the prison is the sugar shack, or the recreation room, of the prison. Also there is the hole where the prisoners were in solitary confinement, and the old electric chair known as "Sparky". Interestingly the one entity with a name is known as "Shadow Man". Apparently this spook is a large man-shaped black blob that has appeared on film. It walks the one corridor of the prison and has been witnessed by several visitors to the prison. I would go on about the ghosts in Moundsville State Penitentiary, but the stories are readily available all over the internet (and show up regularly on tv).
Do you see anyone staring back at you? I didn't see anyone, but you could tell there was something in there. It was a repressed anxiety of wanting out - of course, it was a prison. What a horrible place to spend eternity!
This is a view of the former penitentiary from the top of the Grave Creek Mound that is located directly across the street from it. It was an interesting juxtaposition - the repression of the prison keeping spirits earthbound, with the burial mound moving on into the next life. I know I'm waxing a bit poetic, but that is how I felt about it.
This is a photo of the Grave Creek Mound - it's very large, and was at one time a part of a large complex of burial mounds up and down the Ohio River.
This is me on top the Grave Creek Mound in front of the former State Penitentiary. It was a nice spot to sit and think, as well as showed a great view of the area. So if you are ever in Moundsville, or are just curious about WV's ghosts and spiritual spots, take a trip. I found that Moundsville was pretty spiritual.
