West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, West Virginia

The Moundsville and Wheeling West Virginia areas have been on our list to visit for some time.  We were finally able to get there recently.  Seeing the old prison was a major priority.

The West Virginia State Penitentiary opened in 1876, and closed as a functioning prison only 20 years ago.  The place has witnessed it all.  Riots, murders, jail breaks, executions.... you name it. 

For a COMPLETE history of the place, check out Sherri Brake's book, "The Haunted History of the West Virginia Penitentiary."  Her book is a HUGE 600 page volume covering all of the haunted history, and all of the documented physical stuff.

So, we arrived at the former prison early for a tour.  We were joined by another couple from Ohio that would be visiting the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum later that evening.  They obviously had a fun day planned!  Visiting these two giant West Virginia landmarks sounded like a great way to spend a day!

We bought our tickets and explored the small museum area in the front before our tour.  Then, our guide Chuck started the tour.

Chuck gave us some facts about the facility and its history.  He started in the front area, where visitors used to come to see their loved ones in prison.  He pointed out lots of amazing pieces of art that had been completed by inmates displayed throughout.  One area was decorated with cartoon characters, as this was the area where kids would visit.  It looked like it was painted to be appreciated by the young visitors.

Some art prints, made by one former inmate were available in the gift shop.  Money from the sales went to charity and families of the inmates victims.

Early on in our tour, I thought our tour guide Chuck was making a dark joke about the place's past.  I quickly realized that he was not.  He was very serious about all that had happened here.  We also realized, as our tour continued, that our guide had actually worked at the prison!  He was there for almost a decade before it closed.  Having a guide with that kind of personal connection was a huge bonus!  Chuck had stories... and he was very open about his own experiences.

The West Virginia State Penitentiary has become legendary over the last few years for it's reported paranormal activity.  A very famous photo of a shadow person has been seen by just about everyone.  Well, Chuck showed us the spot where the photo was taken (see the hallway photo on the left).  He also took the time to show us other similar photos taken inside of the retired prison.  He mentioned that all of their late night ghost tours usually book up quickly. 

We were there during the day though, so we felt pretty safe.  We were allowed to explore the old kitchen area, which feels very creepy now.  We were also taken to a basement area with no light at all.  A couple of flashlights offered little illumination.

I did want to mention that this was a very informal kind of tour.  Chuck let us explore casually at times on our own.  This is a very "hands on" experience in a lot of ways.  Chuck let us pull the lever to lock the cells (which was just as cool as it sounds).  I felt more like I was exploring an extremely cool old building with some friends- one of whom used to work there.

Chuck pointed out areas where various things (mostly bad) happened.  With his first hand knowledge and the time he personally spent there he obviously knew a lot.


Chuck spent some time talking about the prison's electric chair, which was last used before he worked there.  He did know about the times it had been used, and how it was made.  He explained how the chair was used early on.  A drawing was held among the guards to see who had to "push the button."  There is more to the story....... but I could imagine the anxiety felt among all of the guards before an execution.

We learned that the prison is still used for training.  Obviously they get a lot of tourists.  AND, the West Virginia State Penitentiary is still a beautiful piece of old architecture in a beautiful area.  There are many positives here.

Right across the street from the prison is the Grave Creek Mound.  We walked to the top of the mound and enjoyed the view of the prison from there.

This is an amazing building in a great town.  I can't stress enough about how much history and beauty is packed into this underrated area.  If you appreciate unbelievable structures, strange history and stories of ghosts, the West Virginia State Penitentiary is a must visit.