Most Haunted Prisons On Earth!

The Moundsfield West Virginia Penitentiary

The Moundsfield West Virginia Penitentiary is considered to be one of the scariest places on Earth according to individuals who have spent any length of time in the immense structure that once served as a prison. Construction on this building started in the year of 1866. In 1876, the prison was completed. Individuals who were ordered to stay at this particular prison had to endure many harsh conditions, including cells that were only seven feet long and five feet wide.

Naturally, several of the inmates died while serving time at this penitentiary. Many were put to death due to the nature of their crimes. It has been estimated that nearly eighty five of the men were put to death by way of hanging. This was from the opening of the establishment until the year of 1949. Starting in the year of 1951 all the way until the year of 1959, electrocution executions were performed. Nine men were killed in this fashion. Then, luckily for many inmates, West Virginia did away with the punishment of the death penalty.

The prison quickly became overcrowded. Emotions ran high, and rumors of hauntings began. In the year of 1995, the prison closed its doors officially. Since then, several stories of hauntings have been told. For example, there was an indoor area that was used for recreatio

Eastern State Penitentiary

The first haunted prison that we will review is Eastern State Penitentiary. This particular prison was opened in the year of 1829 in Philadelphia. Prior to the opening of this establishment, the jail on Walnut Street in the area housed individuals who were found to be crime committers. The Quakers of the time established the fact that some major changes needed to occur when it came to incarceration methods. It was established by this particular group of individuals who when an individual broke the laws, they should endure a period of "penitence". This group believed that being confined in a solitary manner could assist in this time of penitence.

This prison was constructed to reflect the beliefs that confinement and silence by the Quakers could benefit the inmates, as well as society on the whole. Each criminal who entered this facility was issued their own room, as well as their own small outside area. The individuals were not permitted to interact with any other inmate while serving their time at Eastern State Penitentiary. Silence was imperative at this prison. Inmates were not allowed to talk, sing, read, or communicate in any other manner. If the individuals failed to adhere to these rules, they were punished and were not permitted to have any type of food or drink.

While the Quakers had a sound concept in mind, and believed that there would be little need to punish outside of the confinement and solitude, the staff of the prison thought otherwise. As prisoners reached out to communicate with others, new ways of punishing them were implemented and the methods were relatively harsh. These methods included using a straight jacket, a device called a "mad chair" in which they could be strapped for days, "water baths" that occurred mostly in the winter months where the inmates would be drenched with cold water and chained to a chair for many days, and the "iron gag". The iron gag involved tying the tongue of the inmate and then attaching it to the hands behind the back. When the hands were moved, it would pull and tear the tongue.

Many prisoners died while at their stay at the Eastern State Penitentiary. It is believed that the tortured souls of these individuals still roam the haunted prison, only they are not as silent. The average visitor to this haunted prison is likely to hear noises that are chilling to the bone, like screams and cries that display sadness and despair, and a relatively high amount of anguish. Many have actually seen apparitions that appear to be residual hauntings, of the ways in which the inmates were tortured, just like it is happening in the presence. The negative and emotional energy created at this haunted prison definitely qualify it as one of the scariest places on Earth today.

Moundsfield West Virginia Penitentiary

The Moundsfield West Virginia Penitentiary is also considered to be one of the scariest places on Earth. This haunted prison has had a number of sightings, and frightening experiences. As you approach this immense structure, you are likely to be taken back by the spooky, gothic building style that was used to create the facility. Constructed in the year of 1866, on the outer area of a place called "Moundsville", this spooky prison housed several different individuals for a period of about one hundred and twenty nine years. A good majority of these individuals lost their lives while staying at the prison. There were some who died of natural causes, others who died due to the shear violence, and many others who were actually executed in the prison.

It is believed, at one point in history, an ancient burial ground for Native Americans stood on the property where Moundsville West Virginia Penitentiary was constructed. This is, in all actuality, how "Moundsfield" got its name. The purpose and intent of the facility was to house the most dangerous criminals of the time. This prison also housed women prisoners as well as men prisoners. One of the main things that played an important role in this particular prison was that it actually had what was called a "Death House". Throughout the history of the prison, individuals were executed here - typically, by hangings, and then eventually by an electric chair.

There have been a number of scary tales to circulate regarding this particular haunted prison. The violence, the torture, and of course, the murders and suicides that were experienced in this haunted prison all account to the tales that circulate of ominous ghosts and evil spirits. It is not unusual to hear footsteps approaching from an unknown source, frightening noises echoing off of the walls of the structure, screams and cries emerging from every direction, and even an occasional apparition.

Mansfield Reformatory

The Mansfield Reformatory is another haunted prison that is believed to be one of the scariest places on Earth. In the year of 1896, this structure was established in order to provide a location that boys who were sent to be reformed could be completely turned around - in a spiritual way. Unfortunately, things did not work out as well as the original creators may have thought that they would. Stories of torture, despair, sadness, and death have been circulated for years. As a result of these gruesome stories, it is believed that a number of hauntings have occurred at the Mansfield Reformatory. Here, I will share some of the haunting tales of this haunted prison.

One of the main stories of a haunting in this prison occurs in the wing where administration serves. At one point in history, a Warden's wife lived in this area with her husband. She was trying to retrieve something from the close when a gun fell and a bullet entered her chest. She died, and many claimed that the Warden actually killed her, despite the fact that evidence pointed a different direction. Approximately ten years later, the Warden had a heart attack and he passed away. It is believed that the couple still resides in the establishment as ghosts. Scents of roses in the air, as well as cold, ghostly breezes and apparitions have been spotted in this wing.

Many individuals who have visited this haunted prison have had accounts of hearing strange noises, seeing apparitions, smelling unusual scents, and hearing conversations and even screams while there. The lingering sadness and evil seem to linger in every area at the Mansfield Reformatory - both inside and out!

Rawlings Frontier Prison

The Rawlings Frontier Prison is considered to be one of the scariest places on Earth as well. This haunted prison is located in Rawlings, Wyoming. Many individuals refer to this establishment as "The Old Pen". Several different accounts of hauntings have been experienced at this particular prison. There seems to be a number of residual hauntings that occur in and around the structure. The spirits that many witnesses have viewed do not seem to actually be aware of the presence of the living. Residual hauntings are more less high levels of energy that are located in certain places. The living sees this energy, or "recording" and it is referred to as a haunting.

While there are many residual type hauntings at the Rawlings Frontier Prison, there are several other types of activities that occur in and around the facility. These include strange smells, devastating wails, screams, and feelings of immense fear, hot spots, cold spots, and more. Several ghost pictures, and ghost videos have been taken here to establish the fact that these are real ghost stories

Waverly Hills Sanatorium located in Louisville,Ky.- Patient Treatment

Fresh Air and Bedrest

Since they did not have antibiotics in the early 1920's to treat tuberculosis, they had to rely on natural remedies. Daily bedrest out on the solarium porchways was the first and foremost item of importance in treatment. The patients spent most of their stay at the sanatorium out on these "porches". This included all four seasons. Even in the winter the patients were kept outside in their beds. Electric blankets were developed for sanatoriums such as Waverly. Also, you will notice that the solariums had very large windows, which were NOT glassed in. These window openings were only screened in. This was for the purpose of allowing fresh air to circulate through the hospital to carry away the germs as patients would exhale, sneeze, or cough. Fresh air would replenish whatever they exhaled. This was supposed to be very effective in helping the body get rid of TB.

Good Nutrition and Diet

Tuberculosis patients were required to consume alot of protein in their meals to help build up their immune system in order to help fight off the disease. So, healthy eating habits were second on the list of treatment for TB. Cattle and hogs were raised on the farm property of Waverly Hills for fresh meat. Fruits and vegetables were grown to provide a well balanced diet. And fresh dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese were made possible from the cattle that was raised.

Waverly hills had a large central cafateria as well as small dinning rooms on each floor. These smaller dinning rooms were ideal for patients that were too sick to go to the main cafeteria.

Heliotherapy

The young children pictured at the right were recieving natural utraviolet treatment from the hot sun. This treatment was called heliotherapy. Heliotherapy was used in the treatment of tuberculosis of the bones, joints, skin, and eyes. There were several reasons for the use of heliotherapy. First of all, the sun acts as a bactericide killing the tubercule bacillus organisms which cause the disease. When a patient is exposed to moderate hot temperatures for extended periods of time it is sufficient to kill of the bacteria and clear up infections. Also, ergosterol (crystalline steroid alcohol), which is present in the skin is converted by the suns rays into vitamin D, which was believed to do further damage to the tubercule bacilli and help to destroy it.

Sunlamp Treatment

Ultraviolet sunlamps were used when weather conditions were too unfavorable outside. This is a historic photo showing a patient recieving treament from a sunlamp in the old original TB clinic building. This was the two story tudor styled building that you can see a picture of if you go back to the front main page of this site.

Pneumothorax & Thoracoplasty

At Waverly, two basic surgical procedures were used to treat TB. Artificial Pneumothorax was one of these techniques, as you see in the archive photo above. It was a way of collapsing, or deflating a portion of the lung thereby giving that part of the lung a chance to heal. Another benefit of collapsing the lung in certain areas is that it would close off any holes that may have been caused by the disease.

Thoracoplasty was a more involved procedure. It involved actually opening up the patients chest area and removing one or several rib cage bones. This was also done to collaspe the lung when deemed neccessary by the doctor. Most patients on average would require the removal of 7-8 ribs, and the surgeons felt it safe only to remove two or three ribs at a time, which meant that sometimes patients had to endure several surgeries before the thoracoplasty was completed. There were some cases which involved literally cutting out a diseased part of the lung. This procedure was called Lobectomy, and is still used today in some cases of lung cancer. It might be noted however that thoracoplasty was only performed as a "last ditch" effort to save a patient if all the other forms of treatment did not help.

Morale Boosters

Another feature of treatment that Waverly had to help patients was occupational therapy. This gave the patients a chance to do something that would get their minds off the daily "humdrum" of laying in bed and worrying about wether or not they would recover from TB. The patients learned how to weave baskets, make brooms, bedspreads, table cloths and other useful odds and ends, which gave them a sense of purpose, kept their nerves calmer and gave them some enjoyment during their long stay at Waverly.

The items that were produced in the occupational therapy rooms by the patients were displayed proudly and sold at the Kentucky State Fair. The money that was raised by selling these crafts at the KY Fair helped to generate funds which would help to refurbish the operating costs of the Waverly Hospital, as continuing efforts were being researched to improve treatment for tuberculosis to ensure treatment for patients.

Radio at Waverly

Headphone radio service was another feature that Waverly offered for the personal enjoyment of their patients. Receptacles were provided between each set of solarium doors so that the patients could plug in headphones and listen to their favorite stations wether it be music, stories, or sports. This helped to pass the time and gave the patients an added measure of enjoyment during their hospital stay.

Click here to learn about a few of Waverly's former patients.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several haunted prisons that are deemed as the scariest places on Earth. If you want to experience these hauntings yourself, these establishments allow tours and more! Plan your trip to the scariest places on Earth - the haunted prisons mentioned here!