Moundsville Prison, America's Eastern Alcatraz
Moundsville Penitentiary Tours Reveal Sadism, Hint at Specters
Jul 8, 2009
Popularized by movies and TV, San Francisco's Alcatraz Island and its infamous inmates – including mobsters Al Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly – draw more than a million visitors each year. Yet, Moundsville Penitentiary in Moundsville, W. Va., boasts numbers that are far more disturbing.
Moundsville was One of the Most Violent Prisons in the U.S.
At the start of a 90-minute tour, visitors quickly learn that Moundsville, with its intimidating Gothic architecture, wasn't for softies.
Construction of the maximum-security prison began in 1866, and, during its heyday, the 11-acre facility was considered one of America's most violent penal institutions. In addition to nearly 100 executions by hanging and electrocution, inmates murdered each other and carried out three (unsuccessful) escapes and two brutal riots. The presence of rival gangs – together with overcrowding in the tiny 5-ft. by 7-ft. cells where, at times, three prisoners were kept – contributed to aggression.
With no cooling, cell temperatures in the summer rose above 100 degrees. Without heat In the winter, it was bone-chilling. The famed 1986 prison riot over food quality and living conditions resulted in a new, air-conditioned cafeteria. The prison officially closed in 1995.
Tour "highlights" include:
- The Wheel House, one of only two such iron-bar revolving doors in the world;
- Tourist lock-up, when visitors get to experience how it feels to be behind bars;
- North Hall, where the "worst of the worst" were held; and
- Prison museum, which contains "Old Sparky" (electric chair), prisoner-made weapons and a letter from Charles Manson requesting a transfer (denied) to Moundsville so he could be near his mother, who was incarcerated in the female prisoner block.
Inmate Artwork at Moundsville a Contrast to Dreary Prison
Certain images on the tour are unexpected. Prisoner artwork – some of it notable – is juxtaposed against the dreary interior of the facility. Artist Billy Foster, a Moundsville inmate from age 18 until his release in 1987 at age 46, created and sold thousands of drawings and oil paintings from jail and afterwards. According to a brief biography, art was more than a hobby for Foster; it was his mind’s escape. He said he lived in his pictures and not behind the bars that he had to call home.
In contact visitation, prisoners created murals to ease the fears of children visiting their parents. Several large paintings near non-contact visitation have sadly been defaced.
Midnight Ghost Hunts at Moundsville Prison are Popular
Today only visitor footsteps echo eerily through the concrete and steel cellblocks. The air feels dank, and time and neglect are evident in areas with rusted chain-link fence, peeling gray paint and crumbling plaster.
But, some believe the dead still walk the prison halls.
Moundsville has become one of the top paranormal sites in the U.S., and ghost hunters flock to the midnight tours, relishing the chance to roam the darkened prison until 6 a.m. Only midnight guests can tour "the hole" – pitch-black solitary confinement – and the Sugar Shack, a basement recreation room where murders and other criminal activities took place. Tourists have reported unexplained touches and cuts, captured audio of uncanny voices and taken photos of "Shadow Man."
For more details on ghost hunts, as well as day tours and admission prices, visit the Moundsville Penitentiary Web site.
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