Moundsville
Penitentiary Investigation Moundsville
Penitentiary Investigation 
Moundsville
Prison was modeled after the prison in Joliet, Illinois in a castellated Gothic
style and was officially established in July of 1866. At that time it was only a
wooden structure about 24 feet wide, 100 feet long and surrounded by a wooden
fence14 feet high and four feet underground. Due to eventual overcrowding of
prisoners into small 5x7 foot cells the prison in 1989 deemed this "cruel
and unusual punishment" which lead to the closing of the prison in 1995.
Many of those prisoners who died there were later buried at Whitegate Cemetery
on Tom's Run Road about 3/4 miles from Fourth Street. The penitentiary
eventually enclosed six acres of property on a 10-acre piece of land with 24
foot walls.
Located at 818 Jefferson Ave., Moundsville, WV. 26041, 304-845-6200
Website: www.wvpentours.com
Hauntings: There are a number of places within the prison where untimely death and murder have taken place in the past that may still produce paranormal phenomena. Among these places are the Sugar Shack which was once a recreational area for prisoners. A number of people have seen shadowy figures and picked up EVP within the darkened area. "The Hole" where among other sightings a "Manson-like" ghostly figure was captured on video by the Allegheny Mountain Ghost Hunters in 2003. In the maximum security section of the prison is where "Red" Snyder, head of the Aryan Brotherhood, was kept. He was stabbed 37 times by fellow inmate Russell "Rusty" Lassiter in 1992 and there have been sounds, voices, strange feelings and EVPs captured there even since. One other area known for strange occurrences is the circular entrance gate which was used to separate arriving inmates from the warden's living quarters. According to reports, the circular cage turns periodically by itself, giving the impression that the spirits of criminals are still arriving at the prison.
One ghost that is reported the most is that of a maintenance man who lived in the basement. The maintenance man was thought to be a snitch, would tell the warden and guards whenever he caught the prisoners doing something inappropriate. The prisoners got their revenge, stabbing him several times with homemade knives while he was sitting on the toilet in the bathroom. Today his ghost supposedly wanders around that section of the basement. One of the most intriguing photographs taken at Moundsville is that of the "Shadow Man" by Polly Gear. "When I reached the doorway that enters the small hallway between the big hall and the cafeteria, I flipped on my light and saw a black form of a human shadow walking toward me; but it was looking out the windows to its right as it was walking."
Other haunted locations within the prison include the gymnasium, the caged shower area in the maximum security section, The Alamo where they kept the most violent of all the prisoners and also where a strange shadow-like image showed up on another documentary The Shadows of Moundsville. It's clearly visible in the section where psychic Nancy Myer has here back to The Alamo in visible light. A shadow's head and shoulders clearly poke out of a prison cell in the distance and the camera was never moved. This was never mentioned in the documentary but I caught by watching the documentary.
The Ghost Research Society investigated Moundsville Prison on May 21, 2010. Team members included: Jim Graczyk, Stan Suho, Joe Tito, Joey Tito, Nicole Tito, Artie Schramm, Lisa Krick, Lou Hovanes, Rosemary Ellen Guiley and Dale Kaczmarek. We were assisted by Rene Kruse and Craig and Melissa Telesha.
Personal Encounters:
"Ghost
My experience at Moundsville Prison was that it was a nice
old place with lots of history. I really did pick up anything unusual on my own
personal 12mp digital camera. Dale would be reviewing the "Ghost Cam"
that I was carrying around the building. I did not get any unusual feelings or
encounter anything paranormal. I was sort of disappointed as we did not have
full access to the building yet given a tour with the lights on. At times, you
couldn't see where you were without a flashlight and you had to keep second
guessing what you were seeing. I wouldn't mind going back to the place as long
as we got a daytime or lights on tour first followed by an overnight
investigation.
Dale Kaczmarek: Equipment: 10mp Digital Camera, Sony Nightshot Camcorder, Tri-Field Natural EM Meter, Full Spectrum Camera, and Melmeter.
While investigating Red Snyder's cell in maximum
security, Rosemary Ellen Guiley set up in the cell using Frank's Box, EM Pump,
Digital Recorder and Tri-Field Natural EM Meter. Joey Tito was filming the event
from outside the cell and I was on the other side of caged-in enclosure near the
prison yard door. I kept seeing something in the Nightshot viewfinder that
looked like little "pockets" of mists on at least two occasions drift
from the direction of Snyder's cell and out the door to the prison yard. I
mentioned this to the group. I then journeyed over to the opposite side of the
cell block and just as I turned the corner and focused down the empty corridor,
a rather large mist quickly exited out of a prison cell, exactly opposite to the
Snyder cell on the other side. I conducted an instant review of the tape to
verify what I saw and it was confirmed by others that evening. Upon further
review a raspy voice accompanies the mist and seems to say, "help."
While conducting another Frank's Box session by the psycho ward isolation cells, I begin to wander between the psycho ward and the infirmary with only the LED screen on my Nightshot camera for illumination. I saw another group of people at the far end of the infirmary however they were not talking and no sound could be heard coming from their direction. I entered the threshold to the infirmary, took a few steps, panned the camera around and began to head back through the psycho ward when I suddenly heard with my own ears a disembodied gruff female cough to the right and behind me. I immediately spun around only to see nothing and the other group was still where I had originally saw them, at the entrance to the infirmary so they could not have caused that sound which was much closer and very loud!
I did pick up a very high EMF spike on the Melmeter of a
7.5 in "The Hole" when we first arrived and it quickly dissipated. I
could find no natural explanation for the spike.
Stan Suho:
We arrived
in late afternoon and made a walk around the Prison. I made VHS recordings of
the surrounding area and took several pictures, both 35mm and Digital cameras.
At midnight we came back to begin our investigation. The decision was made not
to set up a Command Post so G.E.I.S.T. was not used. I limited myself to Cameras
and Handhelds and Digital Audio Recorders. I walked through all the hot areas.
The only thing I noticed were some ORBS in the "Sugar Shack" area.
This of course poses the musical question-- Why do I get ORBS only in places
that are reportedly haunted? The question remains unanswered.
We wrapped up around 6AM. The only thing unusual was the aforementioned
ORBS. If we do a follow up, I would prefer that it be just our group, and we do
a complete setup.
Nicole Tito: Team Partner: Lisa Krick
Equipment
Used: Digital camera, audio recorder,
Personal
Experiences/Impressions:
Upon returning to the Sugar Shack with other GRS members later on in the night, the video Ovilus kept repeating the same words over and over again while Rosemary Ellen Guiley was performing a Ghost Box session. These words were fear and crash during the session. There were no other abnormalities noted during the session.
Lisa and I were conducting an EVP session in the new cafeteria and sat on
opposite ends of the room. At one
point, we both had an uneasy feeling and I thought I saw a ball of light dart
across the room. I was unable to
determine if it was a nearby flashlight, but we did not hear any talking or
noises nearby sounding like other people. During
this session, we were sitting in the complete dark and could not see Lisa across
the room. I was able to see the
lights on her audio recorder and
EVPs: Possible EVP captured at the Wagon Gate with Lisa and Lou. Interesting Video Ovilus session in Red's cell; stated "women alone" at one point and the screen turned red as it was malfunctioning.
Still Photos: No abnormal photos.
Joey Tito: While
at Moundsville I ran a free hand video camera throughout the night. I recorded
the walk-thru tour in its entirety prior to going off venturing with the team. I
did not come across anything paranormal in my footage, however I did record some
of the box session that Rosemary was holding while Dale caught the mist exiting
the cell behind the one Rosemary, Craig, and I were experimenting in. Some of
the responses she was getting during this session as well as others throughout
the night were pretty interesting and in my opinion too hard to notch it up as
coincidence.
I did see the free form mist that Dale captured on video when he first played it
back. I can not describe what that could have been given the lack of air flow,
ventilation, and atmosphere of the cell block. It was rather odd but very cool
to see.
Lisa Krick: Equipment used: Canon
Digital Rebel XTI, Sony Audio Recorder,
The walkthrough of the prison
was interesting and educational, but no sense of anything paranormal at that
time could be because there were approximately 40 people tromping around on
the tour. After the walkthrough,
Nicole and I started in the old visitation room, which now holds a display of
Indians around a campfire. This is
the site of one of the riots that happened in the prison where three inmates
were murdered. We sat in there for a
bit and did an EVP session. The
Then we headed to the hallway
outside the cafeteria where the infamous "shadow man" picture was
taken. We sat out there for a bit
and did another EVP session, but there was too much distraction from people
walking the hallway to get to other places.
However, at a couple of points during the EVP session, we had some
whispers. All I heard was
whispering, but Dale cleaned it up for us and he heard "how lovely woman
is". At about 8.29 minutes on
the audio session, it sounded to me like it was pouring outside and I asked
Nicole if it was raining. She stated
she didn't think it was raining. Then
we get the second EVP which was "please don't hurt me" followed by
"it's important."
Then it was off to the
cafeteria, where the other riot took place.
We walked around the big, empty room and then found the doors which took
us into the kitchens. Very eerie in
there, but empty feeling. We stepped
back out into the cafeteria and sat down to do another EVP session.
I specifically made sure to sit in the "black" section of the
cafeteria to see if I could passively provoke someone.
I had my back to the cafeteria line and kitchen and Nicole sat facing it,
with her back to the guard room. We
both saw a light we couldn't explain on a far wall, but couldn't rule out that
it might be from a random flashlight shining through the window from out in the
courtyard. However, I did keep
seeing moving shadows on a far wall that I initially thought was a hallway.
I thought people were moving around in the hallway.
I told Nicole and then turned my flashlight on to show her the location I
was talking about and to my surprise; it was a flat wall no hallway at all.
I turned my flashlight off and the shadows began to move on that wall
again in a few minutes, but quickly stopped.
This room had an edgy feeling to it.
At the beginning of our EVP session in the cafeteria, I took two
pictures, one right after the other. The
first picture has an anomaly in the upper left hand corner which cannot be
explained. The second picture was
taken immediately after the first and does not contain said anomaly.
When I snapped the pictures, Nicole looked up at me and asked me if I had
just moved. I told her no and she
said she thought there was something standing by my left side (which is where
the "thing" is on my picture).
At that point, it was close to
3am and we headed toward the Sugar Shack. However,
I got halfway down the stairs and felt really creeped out, so we decided to wait
for a couple more of our guys for reinforcement before heading down there.
So, we headed to the basketball
courts which would normally have held the offenders against children.
They had to be segregated from the rest of the prison population to keep
them safe, even in the yard. We did
another EVP session out there. At
this point, we had picked up Lou, Jim and Artie.
Nothing on the
Next stop, the Wagon Gate.
This is where the executions took place.
There were 85 hangings performed here and nine electric chair executions.
We were not allowed to go upstairs where the executions actually took
place because we were told it was unsafe. However,
they did have the trapdoors of the gallows open, and we stood directly
underneath it to do our EVP session. Nothing
on the
Then, Nicole, Lou and I went to
death row. We stopped first in a
cell where William "Red" Snyder was housed.
He was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, so I provoked him a lot.
I got nothing on the
Next, we saw most of the rest of
the GRS in the hallway and they were headed to the Sugar Shack, so we tagged
along with them. After everyone got
settled down there, Rosemary set up "Frank's Box" and Nicole had the
video Ovilus. We were all recording
the session. We got some interesting
hits on Ghost Box and Rosemary asked if anyone was following me.
It stated yes. I think my new
friend "Red" followed me down to the Sugar Shack.
At one point, I was facing the group and my back was to the room at
large. I felt ice cold on my back
and Rosemary looked up and said that there was a presence behind me.
We tried to coax it to show itself, but the energy dissipated when two
more folks walked the stairs and into the room.
The last place we went to was
the infirmary/psych ward. We
(Rosemary, Dale, Jim, Lou, Nicole, Joe and I) set up Ghost Box in one of the
psych rooms where they put the extremely psychotic inmates.
We got very little response up there.
However, as we were the only people left in the building that were still
roaming around (everyone else was down near the building entrance and ready to
leave for the night) I snapped some pictures of the psych ward.
Our entire group was behind me when I snapped a picture of the large room
and hallway beyond it. When I
analyzed my photo, there appears to be a figure in it which cannot be explained.
I believe it's a shadow person.
Moundsville is an interesting location and is perhaps quite haunted. However, I think it would be best to investigate this prison as a private investigation, rather than part of a large group.
Video Evidence: While conducting a Frank's Box session in Maximum Security section of the prison in Red Snyder's cell, I walked off with my Sony Nightshot camera to the opposite end of the cell block and just as I rounded the corner, a large collection of mist came rushing out of the cell adjacent to Red's cell. This was in no way dust that was stirred up as I was walking very slowly since I was using the LCD screen for my only illumination and had just turned the corner and pointed the camera down the long corridor. I was several feet away from the cell anyway. Upon further audio analysis, at the same time the mist is seen to float out of the cell, a creepy disembodied voice that sounds male and appears to be perhaps gurgling on blood clearing whispers loudly, "Help!" Perhaps this was the spirit of Red still trying to escape anyway possible from his attacker even through the solid walls between the two cell blocks.
A bat was videotaped flying up and down that corridor and coming very close to the Nightshot camera. Perhaps it was picking up on the infrared light being emitted.
No other unusual video evidence
was captured however some sounds were captured on the audio track of the video
tape indicating that they were indeed disembodied voices and sounds.
In the prison yard, fenced-in
area, Rosemary was conducting a Ghost Box session and Stan and I were filming
it. I was sitting at the far end of the enclosure and the rest of the team was
sitting on a picnic bench perhaps sixty or more feet away.
Rosemary asks, "Did you die of accident?" and an almost
immediate clear response on the box replied, "Yeah." Another
question followed, "What happened to you?" In reviewing this portion
of the videotaped with headphones, a clear disembodied laughter can be heard
which was captured on the camera's audio.
During a Ghost Box session in
the Sugar Shack, Lisa Krick asks the question, "Did you hear me when I
talked to you at the cemetery today?" A
clear disembodied male whisper comes from the left of me and replies, "Yeah."
It is important to note that during this session there were other
researchers partaking in the EVP experiment but that you could literally hear a
pin drop. There was no talking or extraneous noise in the background.
Later in the investigation the team moved up to the Psycho Ward and Infirmary and conducted another Ghost Box session in the Isolation Cell Area. Rosemary suggested that I wander the area between the Psycho Ward and Infirmary with my Nightshot camera. I saw another group approaching but they were at the far end of the next room and were pretty quiet. Just as I poked my camera into the Infirmary, turned around and zoomed on something in the corner, I distinctly heard what sounded like a gruff female disembodied cough come from the right of me and very close! I quickly swung my camera to that area and there was nothing to be seen or heard. I cannot be absolutely sure however that this sound wasn't caused by the members of the other group however it did sound much closer than they were.
Ghost Box Evidence: In
the Sugar Shack, Rosemary asks the question "Was the Sugar Shack a happy
place for you?" The reply, "it
wasn't my favorite."
Rosemary asks the question,
"How often did you come down here?"
The reply, "Often"
Rosemary asks the question,
"What crime did you commit?" The
reply, "Murder"
Rosemary asks the question, "Did you die in your…cell?" The reply, "Here"
EVP Evidence: The following are EVP clips from sessions conducted by Nicole Tito and Lisa Krick.
Moundsville Old Visitation Room: Lisa asks if they know they're
dead, then Nicole and her were looking for something and chatting with each
other and in the background you can hear a whisper which when analyzed says,
"coffin, coffin."
Moundsville North Hall: Lisa and Nicole are in the North Hall and
Lisa asks Nicole if it's raining outside and she says "Nooo" and then
you hear a whisper which when analyzed says, "How lovely woman is",
"please don't hurt me", "it's important." The voice
is a loud whisper and it's definitely male.
Moundsville Red Cell: In this clip the Ovilus says "Crosses, women and alone" while Lisa and Nicole were the only ones in the cell at the time.
Moundsville Red Cell: In this clip you hear a whisper on the audio and also a deep breath that wasn't one of the girls. In the first part they ask Red if he's afraid to talk to two girls and a guy (Lisa, Nicole & Lou) and it sounds like a faint reply, "Yeah."
Also the Video Ovilus had been
acting up there then said, "Entire", Nicole repeats, "Entire
what? You wasted your entire family." At that exact moment, you hear a deep
sigh which wasn't anyone in the cell.
Hallway by Cafeteria Voice A
creepy female whisper was recorded.
New Cafeteria Humming As
Lisa and Nicole were talking about something they were apparently seeing at the
time and trying to debunk it, a strange female humming sound can be heard
between their talking and neither one of them react to it.
Wagon Gate Noise: Lisa was reading the name of the first person hanged in the gate house and a creepy whisper or breath sound can be heard.
Ghost Research Society (www.ghostresearch.org)
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