West Virginia Penitentiary — Attraction in Moundsville

4 years ago my wife and I went on a ghost hunting adventure at the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Mounds, West Virginia. We met a married couple who are friends of ours and we all had the time of our lives! 👻

There are several options of tour packages to pick from. We did the Public Ghost Hunt Tour. This tour is a night event which starts at 11:00 pm with a 90-minute guided tour with a knowledgeable guide who walks you through this gothic-style structure and focuses on the main level of the facility. Then you are turned loose and free to roam the prison in search of ghost until 5:00 am! 👻

Make sure to bring your flashlights, cameras, extra batteries, and any investigative equipment that you think you might need. You are allowed to bring snacks, refreshments, and coolers (no alcoholic drinks though).

You must be 18 years of age and older for the Public Ghost Hunt Tour. The cost is $75.00 per person.

Their website is: https://wvpentours.com/tours/public-ghost-hunt/

Some history about the prison:

For almost 1,000 men, the prison was the last stop. Dozens were hung, several electrocuted, many more were murdered by their own kind. Then there were those who couldn't take the sentence of prison living and committed suicide to escape.

The stone walls of the West Virginia Penitentiary have seen hard men broken, dreams shattered and evil punished. The death and carnage have left a mark that will never wash away. By many accounts, some of the tortured souls who served time under this roof are still lurking in the shadows of the prison walls.

The story of Mounds WV State Penitentiary begins in 1863 when West Virginia seceded from Virginia to side with the Union in the North. The newly formed state needed a prison, and the close proximity to then-capital Wheeling made the tiny village of Moundsville the perfect location.

Located on the banks of the Ohio River, the town of Moundsville derives its name from the many Adena Indian burial mounds located here that date back more than a millennium. It would seem this area was a place for death even before the penitentiary rose upon the West Virginia skyline.

Life inside the walls of the West Virginia Penitentiary was hard. Moundsville had the dubious honor of being on The United States Department of Justice's Top Ten Most Violent Correctional Facilities list during its 119-year history.

Prisoners were rarely safe inside these stone walls. Downstairs is one of the most infamous rooms in the complex. The prisoner recreation room was better known as "The Sugar Shack" by the inmates. It was here that illegal activities like gambling, fighting, rape and murder took place.

Like many prisons, West Virginia Penitentiary had its own social hierarchy among the inmates. The prisoners had ways of helping each other, but they also had ways of dealing with the rats among them. Inmate number 44670, better known as R.D. Wall, was one such snitch who suffered the ultimate punishment at the hands of his fellow prisoners. On October 8, 1929, Wall was heading down into the bowels of the prison to where the boilers were kept when he was jumped by three other inmates. The men cut and stabbed at R.D. Wall with dull shivs. When they were finished, Wall was literally butchered into pieces. He's only one of the 36 homicides to take place here. Wall is also connected to one of the earliest ghost-sighting reports here at the prison.

Between 1899 and 1949, 85 men were hung from the gallows at the penitentiary. The practice often drew crowds of locals who would come to watch the condemned meet their end. However, the practice of hanging was ruled cruel and unusual punishment in 1951.

However, 998 men have died at this person in one form or the other which makes for plenty of opportunities for paranormal experiences. Although we didn't see any actual ghosts, we did have some paranormal experiences. We heard banging at times which seemed out of place; we heard footsteps above us once when no one was supposed to be upstairs and I did manage to capture one EVP (electronic voice...

One of the most fascinating places I have ever been to in my life. It's very rare you able to explore a place to such a great extent for this type of subject matter and sub-culture of Individuals. Imagine going to The Alamo only 30 years after the battle, with many of the original relics and buildings still intact; this is what it feels at WVP. It is literally the same as it was when it closed in '95, with only some fading on the inside due to the elements. Simply put, the place and it's memories within the walls are as real as the Iron, steel, rust and stone that surround you as you tour the institution.

Our tour guide Lee, was an excellent tour guide who was incredibly knowledgeable.Lee is from West Virginia and a former prison guard; due his experiences, he was able to convey an honest and realistic presentation in a straightforward and often humorous manner. His humor I felt was truly an advantage on the tour due to the dark subject matter in which the tour entails. The moments of cleverly placed humor help relieve what has the potential to be an overwhelming experience if you are touring with a guide with a less personal tact towards communicating. As a school teacher, I think he has a great potential to be a history teacher at the middle or high school level.

It was an amazing tour from start to finish, it's worth going out of...

If you like history, put WVP Moundsville on your list of stops for sure. The 90-minute guided tour was really informative and fascinating. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly, and encouraged questions. You get to see a lot of the old facilities first-hand, including the mess halls, cell blocks, infirmary, visitation areas, psych ward, yard, and even the infamous dungeon-like "Sugar Shack". Although the Execution House was removed years ago, "Old Sparky" is still on display and our guide did a nice job of describing some of the history of the gallows and even some gruesome debacles that occurred there. This is a VERY old facility that is deteriorating daily, so pay attention to their guidance and rules. Take your time on stairs and walkways as they are often uneven and in disrepair. Summer heat definitely takes its toll on the body, so bring plenty of fluids. Our only complaint on our tour was that someone brought a small dog on a retractable leash that they did not keep close enough to them and the dog almost tripped people several times on the walks and stairs, but that was not the fault of WVP as it is their policy to allow leashed dogs for travelers. If they ever open the Administration Offices section of the North Block for touring, we will definitely want...