Dark Destinations: West Virginia Penitentiary

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Dark Destinations: West Virginia Penitentiary

818 Jefferson Ave
Moundsville, WV 26041, USA

Information
History of West Virginia Penitentiary
This facility located in Moundsville, West Virginia (and even sometimes called Moundsville Penitentiary) closed its doors to inmates in 1995, but has since become recognized as one of the most haunted places in the United States. After West Virginia seceded from Virginia at the height of the Civil War and became a separate state in 1863, it was immediately apparent that the state had to set up new institutions. Moundsville was chosen and a plot of land was purchased in 1866 and work began, using prison labor, until the first phase was completed in 1876.

The design was modeled after the Joliet Prison in Illinois and built from stone in the classic Gothic architectural style, complete with turrets and battlements. Though it initially housed only 251 male inmates, it would grow and expand to house around 2,000 men and women at its peak in the 1960s, but that number would dwindle to 600-700 towards the end as new facilities were built throughout the state. In 1986, the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the prison's 5x7-foot cells (which sometimes housed up to three inmates) were cruel and inhuman punishment, facilitating the prison's closure in 1995.

Executions
Throughout the 1800s, capital punishment was the responsibility of county governments and public executions were the norm. Unnerved by the public spectacle that attracted 1,000s of onlookers, and in particular the 1897 hanging of John F. Morgan in Ripley that was said to draw around 5,000 rowdy spectators, the state passed legislation banning public executions and moved them behind the walls of West Virginia Penitentiary and away from the public's eyes. The first execution at the prison occurred on October 10, 1899 with the hanging of Shep Caldwell who was convicted of murdering his mistress. A select number of citizens were still allowed to attend the executions, at the discretion of the officers in charge (it is even said that the general public would watch the affair from bleachers on 8th Street), until the June 19, 1931 execution of Frank Hyer, when the hanging went awry and Hyer was decapitated. At that point, executions became a strictly "by invitation only" event.

Another botched hanging involved Orville (sometimes spelled Arvil) Paul Adkins on March 21, 1938, when the trap door was sprung prematurely before the noose was placed around his neck and he crashed headfirst into the concrete below. Though he was severely injured in the fall, the pain did not last long as the guards carried him back up the stairs on a stretcher and this time got the noose around his neck before the trap was sprung.

In 1951, the state of West Virginia adopted the electric chair as a more humane form of execution. Paul Glenn, an inmate of the facility, is credited with building the chair (which was collectively dubbed "Old Sparky") that would later be used. On March 26, 1951, Fred Painter and Harry Burdette, both convicted of murdering Edward C. O'Brien, were the first inmates to be put to death by electrocution at the West Virginia Penitentiary. With all of the attention given to the state's first use of an electric chair, two other inmates took advantage of the situation and managed to escape from the facility. The chair would last be used on April 3, 1959, when Elmer David Brunner was executed for murder during a botched break-in. Another man, Ernest Stevenson, would receive the death penalty in 1961, but a series of appeals delayed the execution until 1965, when the state of West Virginia would abolish the death penalty and save him from that fate.

The first hangings were believed to take place at the first building constructed on the site, a building known as North Wagon Gate. Trap doors were installed on the second floor of the building that would drop the convicted to their death. Some time in the 1920s, the cells for the condemned as well as the execution room were reportedly moved to the Main Hospital Building. When the electric chair was put into use, a new building called the Death House was constructed, which contained four cells (death row) and an execution room on the first floor. A Chaplain's Office, Library, and the guards's dining room made up the second floor. After the state abolished the death penalty, the building was torn down at the request of the inmates. In total, 85 men were hung between the years of 1899 through 1949 and nine men died on Old Sparky between the years of 1951 and 1959, bringing the total of the men executed in West Virginia Penitentiary to 94.

Infamous Past
Over its 119-year history as a state penitentiary, this facility gained a notorious reputation. It was said to house the worst of all inmates and was no stranger to prison escapes, deplorable conditions, riots, murders, rapes, suicides, and harsh punishments. Many inmates also succumbed to diseases, such as an outbreak of tuberculosis in the 1920s and 1930s that facilitated the construction of a large sun parlor at one of the prison's hospital buildings. During many of its years in operation, it maintained a constant presence on the Department of Justice's Top Ten Most Violent Correctional Facilities. Due to poor record keeping, no one knows for sure how many people lost their lives inside its walls, though it is believed that a larger number of lives were lost to any of the above factors than the 94 lives who were executed by the state.

The Bluebeard of Quiet Dell
One of the most notorious inmates housed in West Virginia Penitentiary was serial killer Harry Powers, who the press dubbed "the Bluebeard of Quiet Dell" or "West Virginia Bluebeard." Powers was accused of killing five people and burying their bodies in a fake drainage ditch near his barn in Quiet Dell. Under the pseudonym of Cornelius Pierson, Powers would woo rich widows through a matrimonial agency and then lure them to West Virginia where he would immediately kill them in the barn. The first victim was Asta Eicher of Park Ridge, Illinois and her three children. The one he would be convicted for however was the murder of Dorothy Lemke, a widow from Northborough, Massachusetts. Powers was arrested for the crimes on August 28, 1931 and he would ultimately be hanged in the prison on March 18, 1932 after a quick trial and conviction. Powers's crimes would later serve as the inspiration for the novel The Night of the Hunter (see below) by Davis Grubb.

Charles Manson
Despite reports to the contrary, Charles Manson never served a day in the West Virginia Penitentiary. However, Manson did grow up in the general area and in 1983, he sent a letter to the warden of the facility, Donald Bordenkircher, requesting a transfer to the prison. According to the letter, several of Manson's relatives had spent time in the facility and even helped build the roads in the area. He believed he would get fairer treatment in West Virginia than in California, where he was incarcerated for the infamous murders of Sharon Tate and others. In response to his request, Bordenkircher told a local reporter, "It will be a cold day in hell."

Inspired Literature
West Virginia Penitentiary would later play a predominant role in two novels by author Davis Grubb, as well as their subsequent film adaptations. The first novel was Grubb's 1953 novel, The Night of the Hunter. The novel concerned an ex-con who finds out about some hidden money from another inmate, who was sentenced to death for a bank robbery. After the man's execution, the ex-con is released from West Virginia Penitentiary and marries the widow of the bank robber in an attempt to track down the cash. The character's name is Harry Powell and is modeled slightly after Harry Powers, the Bluebeard of Quiet Dell. The novel was turned into a film in 1955 with Richard Mitchum taking the main role and Shelley Winters as the widow. The novel and film are probably best known for the tattoos of "LOVE" and "HATE" on Powell's knuckles, which has been used in other works several times since. In 1969, Grubb used the prison again as a backdrop to his drama, Fools' Parade, which was adapted for film in 1971 with James Steward and Kurt Russell. Both movies would be shot on location at West Virginia Penitentiary and the area around Moundsville.

The Ghosts
Even before its closure in 1995, West Virginia Penitentiary had grown the reputation of being extremely haunted. In fact, legend even says that the facility was built on an ancient Indian burial ground, but there has been no evidence collected to back this up. However, the city name of Moundsville was derived from the many Indian mounds that once occupied the area. The largest conical Indian burial mound in the United States, Grave Creek Mound, sits directly across the street from the prison. Regardless, there was more than enough death in the prison to account for the reported paranormal activity. So it should no surprise then that there are a variety of accounts of odd occurrences being caught by photos, recordings, and video inside its walls. Reports vary from residual hauntings, where something that happened in the past is replayed over and over again, to a "Shadow Man" that has been seen in the cafeteria, the psychiatric ward, and the basement. The sounds of phantom footsteps, voices, or screams and slamming doors when no one else is around is another common occurrence.

R.D. Wall
One of the better-known phantom inmates believed to still walk the halls of West Virginia Penitentiary is R.D. Wall. During his stay, it is said that he was liked by all and used by both the guards and inmates alike to transfer information. The story goes that some new inmates saw Wall speaking with the warden one time and mistakenly considered him a snitch. Three inmates cornered him in the basement of the administration building and savagely attacked him, leaving his body headless and chopped up. To this day, people report seeing his spirit wandering around the basement, either with or without his head.

The Sugar Shack
Also in the basement area is the winter recreation room, which was dubbed "The Sugar Shack" for the unsavory things that went on in there. This room was propelled into fame by an episode of MTV's Fear and is generally regarded as one of the most haunted "hot spots" in the entire facility. The interesting thing is that there is no record of anyone actually dying in the room. There are, however, a variety of different accounts of violence and suffering that was inflicted while in the room. The Sugar Shack was used primarily when weather outside was bad and inmates were reportedly left alone in the room, with a guard checking in on occasion. Today, visitors have reported hearing footsteps, screams and cries, and some even report being physically assaulted by a phantom entity.

North Wagon Gate
The structure known as North Wagon Gate also has its fair share of paranormal experiences. As previously mentioned, this building was used in the early days to carry out the hangings. One of the ghosts believed to still exist in this area is that of Orville Paul Adkins, who had the thrill of being dropped from the second floor trap door not once, but twice. Visitors also report feeling a sinister presence or the feeling of being watched from some force invisible to the eye.

Other Areas
Back in the administration building is a room known as "The Wheel House," which consists of a revolving door made completely out of iron bars and is how prisoners entered the prison. It has been known to rotate by an unseen force. The North Hall is also reportedly quite active. It used to house the most dangerous inmates and was dubbed "The Alamo." The Hole is also quite notorious, with visitors feeling overwhelmed with anxiety or fear by a "presence." It was used for solitary confinement for unruly inmates. Tales of spectral encounters or mysterious sounds seem to emanate from all areas of West Virginia Penitentiary, earning it the reputation of being one of the more haunted places in the United States.

Television Exposure
West Virginia Penitentiary's haunted reputation has attracted plenty of attention from television series dedicated to the paranormal. Probably the most famous case was with the pilot episode of MTV's Fear, which launched the series and propelled the facility into the national spotlight. It has also been featured by the likes of Scariest Places on Earth, Ghost Hunters, and the Sci-Fi Channel's Proof Positive.

Dungeon of Horrors
Every Halloween, the prison is transformed into the Halloween attraction Dungeon of Horrors. Keeping with the setting, the haunt treats their guests as actual convicts, complete with locking them in prison cells. Guests are then moved into a haunted maze and walked through such areas of the prison as the infamous Sugar Shack.

Tours
Today the Moundsville Economic Development Council maintains the facility. In addition to the Halloween haunt, the group offers a variety of different tours, including historical tours, offered day and night, as well as ghost hunts for those wishing to check out the claims of paranormal activity. For more information, please visit their site below.