West Virginia Penitentiary

  • Kyle Valentini
  • February 1, 2011
  • 280
                        
The West Virginia state legislature approved the purchase of land in Moundsville on February 7, 1866, for the purpose of constructing a state prison. Ten acres were purchased just outside of the then city limits of Moundsville for $3000. It seemed a suitable location as it was only 12 miles south of the former capital of Wheeling, but at the time many questioned the motives of Governor Arthur Boreman who had family in Moundsville. Although the original architectural drawings have been lost, the prison was patterned after the Joliet Correctional Center in Illinois. A castellated Gothic structure made of stone that includes battlements and turrets is only half the size of Joliet. The first phase of construction began in 1866 and continued until its completion in 1876 using prison labor. Hand-cut sandstone quarried locally from Cameron, Roseby’s Rock and Hundred was used in the construction that would include the North Wagon Gate, the South Hall with 224 cells, and the North Hall with a kitchen, dining hall, hospital and chapel. The administration building was housed in a four story tower that also included space for female inmates living quarters for the prison warden and his family. The administration building also was used as a tuberculosis ward. When the Penitentiary opened in 1867 it housed 251 inmates. It would reach a peak population of 2,400 inmates in the late 1950s-1960s. During the early 1900s the prison was self supporting. There was a tailor and shoe shop, a skirt and pant shop, kitchen, bakery, carpentry workshop, broom shop, paint shop, a farm and a coal mine. Inmates who worked in the mine were permitted to stay on the farm where a coal miner rather than a Division of Corrections employee supervised them. The Penitentiary had its own light plant and would eventually be rebuilt in 1905 to provide more power, improved efficiency and economy of operation. A second phase of construction began in 1929 and would last for thirty years. The shortage of steel during World War II slowed down construction. It was during this phase of construction New Wall and South Wagon Gate began and was completed in the late 1940s. The first execution took place at the Penitentiary in 1899. Prior to this, counties were responsible for their own executions. Ninety four men were executed from 1899-1959. Eighty five men were hanged at the Penitentiary while nine others were put to death by electrocution in an electric chair constructed by Paul Glenn, an inmate who had to live in protective custody for the rest of his life in prison. The chair, nicknamed, “Old Sparky” was no longer used when West Virginia outlawed execution in 1965. A riot in 1986 was the beginning of the end for the Penitentiary. The West Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a 5x7 foot cell constituted cruel and unusual punishment and the penitentiary closed for good in 1995. The Moundsville Economic Development Council took over the penitentiary in 1996 and signed a twenty five year lease. Law enforcement training and tours for the public are the primary use of the Penitentiary. In 2001 MTV reserved the Penitentiary to use in a television pilot and thus began the idea to have events at night. 2011 marks the 40th year the Penitentiary has been used in film and television. Suzanne Parks of The Moundsville Economic Development Council says, “On a Day tour of the Penitentiary visitors will hear a history of the facility, a typical day in the life of an inmate, details of the violent fights and riots that have taken place and you’ll get to experience being locked in a cell.” Parks explains, “School groups, church groups, colleges, bus tours, families, history buffs…our tours appeal to a broad range of people. Age, gender and where you live does not matter, it is the excitement and fear that people want to visit this Gothic structure.” The Penitentiary offers a variety of tours to choose from. With no heating system in the facility, the Penitentiary is open for tours April-November. Parks says, “With no heat source the temperature during the winter can be unbearable!” Thriller Thursdays is for visitors age 15 or older. A high demand from the under 18 age group convinced MEDC to open from 9-midnight each Thursday. One parent or guardian is required to accompany groups up to five. The last Thursday of each month is reserved for Ghost Quest from 9-midnight. Guests are encouraged to bring a flashlight for this tour that includes time to explore on their own. This event is open to visitors 18 years and older. Wednesdays can be reserved for groups of up to 20 for Private Paranormal Investigations. Visitors are free to explore the facility on their own from 11:59PM until 6:00 the next morning. “Our paranormal tours and events appeal to people looking to prove or disprove the fact that ghosts, spirits or energy inhabit the facility,” says Parks. Public ghost hunts are available on Saturday nights and include a ninety minute guided tour before visitors are left on their own until the next morning. Parks says, “I haven’t personally experienced anything ghostly in the facility but a friend who teaches paranormal investigation tells me I am not susceptible to the paranormal. But just because I haven’t experienced anything doesn’t mean it’s not there. We have people submitting stories and pictures with orbs and images that cannot be explained!” Ryan Daniels, of Dover, Ohio, a visitor to the facility had this to say about the Penitentiary, “That is one freaky place! You could seriously feel the evil in the air! One of the freakiest things was seeing the old electric chair called "Old Sparky." Just knowing people were killed in it kind of made you queasy. Oh! I almost forgot about seeing where they used to hang people back in the day. You know that feeling you used to get as a kid when you would walk into a dark basement or a strange unfamiliar place? That's the feeling you get walking up the steps to see where they would hang people. There was a very odd energy in that place....it definitely makes your spine tingle.”


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