[4] With the building of more prisons, that number declined to 600 – 700 inmates by 1995. [3][4] Within nine years, West Virginia Penitentiary was closed as a prison. [2] When completed, the total cost was of $363,061. [4], In 1983, convicted multiple murderer Charles Manson requested to be transferred to this prison to be nearer to his family. It was Season 1 Episode 1. See more ideas about Moundsville penitentiary, Moundsville, Penitentiary. It was higher than in 64.4% U.S. cities. See more ideas about Moundsville, Moundsville penitentiary, Penitentiary. It was where a multitude of illegal gambling, fighting, and murder took place. The prisoners pulled him from his car and Williams shot him. [2] The stone walls are 5 feet (1.5 m) thick at the base, tapering to 2½ feet at the top, with foundations 5 feet (1.5 m) deep. [4] The fate of the prison was sealed in a 1986 ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court which stated that confinement to the 5 x 7-foot (2.1 m) cells constituted cruel and unusual punishment. Following this event, attendance at hangings was by invitation only. The former West Virginia Penitentiary aka Moundsville Prison - Moundsville, West Virginia Photo taken: 7/2/2011, Moundsville State Penitentiary, Moundsville, WV. Security had become extremely loose in all areas. [2], However, the conditions at the prison worsened through the years, and the facility would be ranked on the United States Department of Justice's Top Ten Most Violent Correctional Facilities list. Olive Correctional Complex in Fayette County, West Virginia. [15] To assist teams in the planning and execution of scenarios, the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation commissioned The 3D Model of the West Virginia Penitentiary, an interactive 3D model of the penitentiary. Some claim that the prison is plagued with what is called, residual hauntings, which are defined as a replay of a tragic event from the past. [3] Ten acres were purchased just outside the then city limits of Moundsville for $3000. "[14] Yet, Lehman was not a part of the twenty men who began the riot. [4] Nine men were electrocuted before the state prohibited capital punishment entirely in 1965. [21][22], External shots of the penitentiary were used for Season 1 Episode 9 of the Netflix Original Series Mindhunter[23], West Virginia State Penitentiary and the town's history were featured as one of the haunted locations on the paranormal TV series Most Terrifying Places in America in the episode titled "Cursed Towns", which aired on the Travel Channel in 2018. The construction had been delayed by a steel shortage during World War II. In 1951, one of the hangings went terribly wrong and the prisoner was inadvertently decapitated. "[3], The first building constructed on the site was the North Wagon Gate. Now withdrawn and retired from prison use, it operated from 1876 to 1995. Crime rate in Moundsville, WV The 2018 crime rate in Moundsville, WV is 186 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 1.5 times smaller than the U.S. average. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The bloody New Year's Day riot at West Virginia Penitentiary, followed by months of aftershocks, turned 1986 into the most violent year at the prison in … In 1863, West Virginia seceded from Virginia to join the Union in the North. West Virginia Penitentiary pictures: Check out Tripadvisor members' 655 candid photos and videos of West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, WV. With a new state came the need for a new state prison. They regularly attended class. Something dark and sinister lurks in the bowels of the building also. Staff have reported being accosted by invisible forces and strange echoes are heard throughout cell blocks. Moundsville was close to the then-capital, making it the perfect location to house future inmates. The facility is used for training law enforcement and corrections practitioners with regular mock-riot drills. [2][3][4], The state built a temporary wooden prison nearby that summer. This gave prison officials time to assess what prison design should be used. [2][3] A smaller correctional facility was built a mile away in Moundsville to serve as a regional jail. At around 5:30 pm, twenty inmates, known as a group called the Avengers, stormed the mess hall where Captain Glassock and others were on duty. His request was denied. On that date, Frank Hyer was executed for murdering his wife. "It was a good twenty minutes before we knew about the escape. Prison scenes in the 2013 film Out of the Furnace were filmed on site at the penitentiary. January 1, 1986 was the date of one of the most infamous riots in recent history. Moundsville Prison, WV -The ghost of a maintenance man who was stabbed to death by prisoners in the basement for telling the guards on them. If you’re looking to do tours, you can check out this website here. [4] The state used prison labor again and completed this phase of construction in 1959. History of West Virginia State Penitentiary – Moundsville. [2] In addition to the North Wagon Gate, there was now north and south cellblock areas (both measuring 300 ft. by 52 ft.[3]). ", https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/most-terrifying-places-in-america/episodes/cursed-towns, https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/mysteries-of-the-abandoned/full-episodes/curse-of-the-haunted-prison, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Virginia_Penitentiary&oldid=977327027, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 September 2020, at 06:12. It was where the worst of the worst were left to rot, die, or be murdered by fellow inmates. [3][4] Most of the inmates were transferred to the Mt. Jul 31, 2013 - Explore Stephanie Phillips's board "Moundsville penitentiary " on Pinterest. [citation needed] The West Virginia Penitentiary was undergoing many changes and problems. [2] The Elizabethtown Festival is held every May to celebrate and remember historic Moundsville. The last man hanged at the penitentiary in 1959 was inmate Bud Peterson from Logan County. [2][3] The center tower section is 682 feet (208 m) long. The electric chair, nicknamed "Old Sparky", used by the prison was originally built by an inmate there, Paul Glenn. ", Last edited on 8 September 2020, at 06:12, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the 1858 state prison in Joliet, Illinois, List of Registered Historic Places in West Virginia, "Former West Virginia Penitentiary (Official Site)", "Abandoned – West Virginia Pentitentiary", "Beckley Fallen Heroes Fund: David Lilly", "Trooper Philip S. Kesner, West Virginia State Police", "The 3D Model of The West Virginia Penitentiary", "National Corrections and Law Enforcement Training and Technology Center Closing in Moundsville", "The Haunted Prison in Moundsville, West Virginia", "Out of the Furnace (2013) Filming Locations", "Moundsville Meets Maine as Filming Wraps at Former West Virginia Penitentiary", "Filming Locations Guide: Where was Mindhunter filmed? It made the software available to the public prior to conducting the 2009 Mock Prison Riot. At the same time, revenue from the prison farm and inmate labor helped the prison financially. "Communications have been very poor. The West Virginia Penitentiary is a gothic-style prison located in Moundsville, West Virginia.Now withdrawn and retired from prison use, it operated from 1876 to 1995. [4] One of the more notable ones is the butchering of R.D. [3] The Legislature at first directed him to send the prisoners to other institutions out of the state, and then they directed him to use existing county jails, which turned out to be inadequate. The West Virginia Archives and History web site offers detailed information on the state's history, outlines the documents available in the State Archives, and provides … When the trap door beneath him was opened and his full weight settled into the noose, he was instantly decapitated. [2], The Penitentiary's design is similar to the facility at the 1858 state prison in Joliet, Illinois, with its castellated Gothic, stone structure, complete with turrets and battlements, except it is scaled down to half the size. National and local news covered the story, as well as the inmates meeting with Governor Moore. Prison Cell at Moundsville state Penitentiary - Moundsville, WV. Construction of a school and library was completed in 1900 to help reform and educate inmates. It’s … This caused the state to rule the hangings as cruel and unusual punishment. Fools' Parade, starring James Stewart, Kurt Russell, and George Kennedy, was adapted into a film in 1971. Moundsville native Davis Grubb has written a couple of novels with Moundsville as the setting, Fools' Parade (also known as Dynamite Man from Glory Jail) and The Night of the Hunter. From 1863 to 1866, Governor Arthur I. Boreman lobbied the West Virginia Legislature for a state penitentiary but was repeatedly denied. Trooper Kesner returned fire at the fleeing suspects despite being mortally wounded. It was virtually self-sufficient. Paranormal groups and enthusiast travel guides consider Moundsville Prison to be one of the most haunted prisons in the United States, with ghost stories originating as early as the 1930s. Arizona had sought his extradition for his execution, but as of 11 October 2020 he remains in West Virginia custody. Today his ghost supposedly wanders around that section of the basement.”. On October 8, 1929, after "snitching" on his fellow inmates, he was attacked while heading to the boiler room by three prisoners with dull shivs. I think they should keep the local law enforcement officers more informed I have no idea what they're doing, what they've found."[13]. "Within seconds, he (Captain Glassock), five other officers, and a food service worker were tackled and slammed to the floor. [16] Some previous training programs for law enforcement officials that took place here, such as the National Corrections and Law Enforcement Training and Technology Center, are now discontinued. Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr. went to the penitentiary to talk with the inmates. In 1929, the state decided to double the size of the penitentiary because overcrowding was a problem. Education was a priority for the inmates during this time. Wall, inmate number 44670. [2] After this phase, work began on prison workshops and other secondary facilities. Legends include claims that the prison occupies the site of a Native American burial ground, and alleged hauntings by spirits of dead inmates.[18]. It stars Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters. [7][8][9][10][11][12], At the time, Marshall County Sheriff Robert Lightner was very critical about poor police communications during the break. The 5 x 7-foot (2.1 m) cells were too small to hold three prisoners at a time, but until the expansion, there was no other option. Since it was a "cons" prison, most of the locks on the cells had been picked and inmates roamed the halls freely. ... who confessed to 5 murders, was executed here in 1908. [2] The walls here are 24 feet (7.3 m) high and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide at the base, tapering to 18 inches (460 mm) towards the top. The circular entrance gate still turns on its own eternally bringing in prisoners to the facility. Two prisoners would sleep in the bunks, with the third sleeping on a mattress on the floor. During that time, he murdered John Bunchek in Scottsdale, Arizona during a robbery and was connected to crimes in Colorado and Pennsylvania. In 1863, West Virginia seceded from Virginia to join the Union in the North. The prison was holding more than 2,000 men and crowding was an issue. These works by Grubb have been adapted as major motion pictures. (h/t graveaddiction, TravelChannel) (photos via graveaddiction), The United States Department of Justice’s Top Ten Most Violent Correctional Facilities, Architect Spends 45 Years Transforming An Old Cement Factory Into A Fairytale Home, 1,400-Year-Old Gingko Tree Sheds A Spectacular Ocean Of Golden Leaves, Giant Straw Animals Invade Japanese Fields After Rice Harvest And They’re So Badass, Artist Incredibly Uses A Chainsaw To Carve A Mythical Dragon Bench, Chef Uses Molecular Gastronomy To Incredibly Bake A Clear Pumpkin Pie, Forget Turducken! Consequently, the new state had a shortage of various public institutions, including prisons. Be sure to give this post a thumbs up and a share with your friends on Facebook before you go.