Top 10. Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Moundsville, West Virginia
Top 10. Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Moundsville, West Virginia: West Virginia Penitentiary, Grand Vue Park, The National Museum of the Paranormal, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex, Palace of Gold, Marx Toy Museum, Moundsville Bridge, New Vrindaban Temple, Fostoria Glass Museum, The Strand Theatre
The Haunted West Virginia Penitentiary at Moundsville
Hey guys, this is the West Virginia State Pen in Moundsville, one of the most haunted locations in the United States. Why? Because it was ranked as one of the top 10 most violent correctional facilities, according to the US department of Justice. 998 inmates were killed in this facility. Over 47 inmates committed suicide unable to bear the atrocities in here. Allow me to give you a tour of the inside, the electric chair, the mysterious shadow man, the racist water coolers, 5 by 7 cells where 3 people slept in and even devil worship. Today it is a very scary place but when it was in operation, the West Virginia Pen was hell on earth.
This is the Old Sparky, the electric chair that took 9 lives some of them considered innocent by the public. An electrician would come early in the day and wire one of the 3 buttons and he is the only one who knew which one worked at the time. Now when the time came, all the three buttons were hit at the same time. If you were sitting in that chair, and an officer hits that button, 1700 volts is going to go through your body. It is going to induce heart attack and you would die. Then it is going to pause. Then it will deliver another 800 volts. Then it will pause one more time and will deliver another 1800 volts into your body. Now the first 1700, that did the job. The last 2 were to make sure that your brain is completely cooked. You can also see a phone right next to Old Sparky. If all of a sudden the governor decided to change death to life in prison that call would have been made on that phone. However, this phone never rang in this facility. }
This was not the only method of execution. Right here, was a building called the death house, the gallows where 85 men were killed by hanging. It was torn down shortly after the death penalty was abolished in 1965. But long before the death house, the wagon gate served as the gallows where people were hung in public. They did have several botched executions. In 1931, an inmate by the name of Frank Hyer was set for hanging. Frank Hyer was a large man, and they made that rope a little bit too long. So when Frank dropped, he was completely decapitated by the noose. His body fell straight to the ground, and his head bumped off and rolled right at the feet of the public. To this day, dozens of people have reported seeing a headless ghost walking around, hunched over as though searching for its head. Could this be the spirit of Frank Hyer or does it belong to R.D WALL? Who is RD Wall? He was another inmate who was decapitated by 3 other prisoners for snitching. Whoever this headless ghost is, its serving Afterlife with No Parole in this place.
This is the lockup unit where guys were locked in the cells 22 and a half hours a day. That's half an hour shower, and an hour of recreational time. The first cell belonged to a guy named Red Snyder, leader of the Aryan Brotherhood. He was stabbed 37 times in the chest in this cell and died. This Cell, Cell number 17 had a devil worshiper, he not only made these drawings but took the authorities to the court all the time. He did that to claim his right to sacrifice goats and chickens in the cell. He was denied but he was able to use human blood of the inmates. He also had a group of followers who took part in these rituals. At one point, this facility became the hub of devil worship, so much so that Charles Manson wanted to be transferred here. In his request letter, he used a pretext of moving closer to his family. It was common knowledge that this was not the real reason and he wanted to partake in satanic worship and his request was promptly denied.
One of the strangest apparitions ever captured on camera is the Shadow man. It was first captured right here by this door that says cafeteria. Paranormal experts around the world say that this is the best piece of evidence that proves the existence of ghosts. People have tried to debunk this multiple times, but the shadow man has been captured at least half a dozen times in different parts of the facility. Who is this trapped soul and why does he appear on the walls of this pen? Perhaps he is not just a trapped soul but his body may also be trapped in the walls.
You see, torture was extremely common in this facility. Inmates were bound in a device called the Kicking Jenny and were whipped with leather straps. The straps were dipped in water, then in sand. This whipping would go on until the officer ran out of strength or if the victim died. Only 50% of the torture victims survived. One inmate John G. Roberts was whipped until his skin and most of his flesh was completely peeled off from his body. He lays buried under the walls of this pen. It is quite possible that John G. Roberts is the shadow man that wants his body to be recovered and buried with proper rituals.
I am Praveen Mohan, I hope you liked this video. Thanks for watching, Please do subscribe and I'll talk to you soon.
West Virginia Penitentiary Moundsville
The West Virginia Penitentiary (WV-Pen) is not on an island but it might as well be. It definitely is in another world. I know it has been featured in some major movies. Anyone who can identify any of the buildings, rooms, cells, etc. in the video please feel free to comment. Normally I work to keep my videos under 10 minutes. But this place has an extensive history and demands more time. This video represents only small portion of the footage that I collected.
At Alcatraz the cells were bigger, the food was better, and no one was ever executed. Alcatraz was closed mainly due to rising costs. West Virginia Penitentiary was closed due to inhumane conditions which included torture of some prisoners. The tour guide informed me that one of the most time-consuming tasks in preparing meals for the prisoners was clearing out the cockroaches. At WV-Pen the 5x7 cells often housed more than one inmate.
Some the areas you will see in the video include:
...The North Yard – The most violent prisoners were locked up in maximum security adjacent to the North Yard where you can see razor wire around the recreation area. The so-called death house was in this area but was torn down. Still, hangings continued and it is believed these hangings were carried out in the North Yard Wagon Gate which you will see in the video.
...The South Yard – The Chapel is in this area.
...The Administration Building – In the early years the warden was required to live in the prison and his living quarters were on the top two floors of this building. Viewing this building from the back you can see a platform with a rust/red awning. This was to allow the warden to step out onto the platform and speak to the prisoners. The area below the administration is the boiler room.
...The maximum security lockup
...The Psych Ward
...The electric chair, called Old Sparky. The black mask that you see beside the electric chair was worn by any inmate being executed.
...The Chapel
The aerial video footage was created using my Phantom 2 Vision+ drone, and for the interior I used a GoPro Silver camera.
Visiting West Virginia State Penitentiary, Tour Agency in Moundsville, West Virginia, United States
Visiting West Virginia State Penitentiary, Tour Agency in Moundsville, West Virginia, United States.
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West Virginia Travel Destination & Attractions | Visit West Virginia State Penitentiary Show
West Virginia Travel Destination & Attractions | Visit West Virginia State Penitentiary Show
In 1863, West Virginia seceded from Virginia at the height of the American Civil War. Consequently, the new state had a shortage of various public institutions, including prisons; the Wagon Gate was the only building at this site during the Civil War. From 1863 to 1866, Governor Arthur I. Boreman lobbied the West Virginia Legislature for a state penitentiary but was repeatedly denied.[3] The Legislature at first tried to direct him to send the prisoners to other institutions out of the state, and then they directed him to use existing county jails, which turned out to be inadequate.[3] After nine inmates escaped in 1865, the local press took up the cause, and the Legislature took action.[3] On February 7, 1866, the state legislature approved the purchase of land in Moundsville for the purpose of constructing a state prison.[3] Ten acres were purchased just outside of the then city limits of Moundsville for $3000.[3] Moundsville proved an attractive site, as it is approximately twelve miles south of Wheeling, West Virginia, which at that time was the state capital.[2][3][4]
The state built a temporary wooden prison nearby that summer. This gave prison officials time to assess what prison design should be used. Northern Illinois Penitentiary at Joliet proved to be an attractive design. Its Gothic Revival architecture exhibit[ed], as much as possible, great strength and convey[ed] to the mind a cheerless blank indicative of the misery which awaits the unhappy being who enters within its walls.[3]
The first building constructed on the site was the North Wagon Gate.[2] It was made with hand-cut sandstone, which was quarried from a local site.[2] The state used prison labor during the construction process, and work continued on this first phase until 1876.[2] When completed, the total cost was of $363,061.[2] In addition to the North Wagon Gate, there was now north and south cellblock areas (both measuring 300 ft. by 52 ft.[3]).[2] South Hall had 224 cells (7 ft. by 4 ft.), and North Hall had a kitchen, dining area, hospital, and chapel.[3] A 4-story tower connecting the two was the administration building (measuring 75 ft. by 75 ft.[3]).[2] It included space for female inmates and personal living quarters for the warden and his family.[2][3] The facility officially opened in this year, and it had a prison population of 251 male inmates, including some who had helped construct the very prison that now held them.[2] After this phase, work began on prison workshops and other secondary facilities.[3]
In addition to construction, the inmates had other jobs to do in support of the prison. In the early 1900s some industries within the prison walls included a carpentry shop, a paint shop, a wagon shop, a stone yard, a brickyard, a blacksmith, a tailor, a bakery, and a hospital. At the same time, revenue from the prison farm and inmate labor helped the prison financially. It was virtually self-sufficient. A prison coal mine located a mile away opened in 1921. This mine helped serve some of the prison's energy needs and saved the state an estimated $14,000 a year. Some inmates were allowed to stay at the mine's camp under the supervision of a mine foreman, who was not a prison employee.[2]
Conditions at the prison during the turn of the 20th century were good, according to a warden's report, which stated that, both the quantity and the quality of all the purchases of material, food and clothing have been very gradually, but steadily, improved, while the discipline has become more nearly perfect and the exaction of labor less stringent. Education was a priority for the inmates during this time. They regularly attended class. Construction on a school and library was completed in 1900 to help reform and educate
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TOP 14. Best Tourist Attractions in Wheeling, West Virginia
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The most beautiful places and sight in Wheeling.
TOP 14. Best Tourist Attractions in Wheeling, West Virginia: Oglebay Park, Suspension Bridge, Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center, Oglebay Institute Glass Museum, Oglebay Park Good Zoo, The Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum, West Virginia Independence Hall, Wheeling Park, WesBanco Arena, Wheeling Artisan Center, North Wheeling Historic District, Wheeling Heritage Port Amphitheater, Cathedral of St. Joseph, Capitol Theatre
A Brit's Visit to West Virginia | Finding America
In his quest to visit all fifty U.S. states, your favourite British host, Laurence Brown, heads off into the mountains of West Virginia.
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Devil's Tree, Florida - The Real Story Behind The Haunted Location
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Here is one of the most famous haunted locations in Florida, called the Devil’s Tree. I am Praveen Mohan and this is located in Oak Hammock Park in Port St Lucie. This oak tree is said to be owned by Devil himself, and is impossible to cut it down. Unlike most urban legends, this tree has a very real story behind it. On January 8, 1971 a cop by the name of Gerard John Schaefer finds two teenagers hitchhiking the town. He shows his badge and puts them in the back of his car. Now, this guy brings them to this very spot, binds them, tortures them and hangs them both on one of the branches and kills them. Why on this tree? Because right next to this tree, was his home, you can still see the foundation.
After killing them, he decapitates them, and then starts having sex with their decaying bodies for the next 10 days. Let’s read a piece of this news from Ocala Star-banner: ”The headless bodies were found, and all women were believed to have been sexually assaulted after they were slain”
In his house, police found a notebook where he explains how he kills these women. “I asked her to put on a blindfold, she was nervous. Tied her hands behind her and put a noose over the head that I had put up in the previous afternoon. I would pull the rope up occasionally to hear her beg.”
This deputy sheriff, killed about 34 people before getting caught, and the headless skeletons of these two girls, Collette Goodenough and Barbara Ann Wilcox were discovered right underneath here. He had left two ropes hanging from this branch to remember this incident.
While he is in Jail, this tree becomes famous, or infamous. Devil worshipers and supporters of this guy, start performing satanic rituals on this tree. People who were walking around were chased away. Now remember we are talking 1970s, and this was not a park back then.
In 1985 a young couple came running out of this trail, half naked claiming there were 2 hooded peeping toms watching them have fun.
In 1992, a group of school boys were chased through the woods by the same hooded figures.
In 1993, a local pastor erected a cross and performed exorcism on this tree; 9 months later the cross was pulled out and placed upside down as the devil’s cross. The legend of the devil’s tree is now spreading like wildfire.
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Real. Wheeling and Ohio Valley, West Virginia
Real. Wheeling and Ohio Valley. Adventure, history, food, family, escape. Wild, Wonderful West Virginia. You'll find it here.
Ghost Adventures Moundsville State Penitentiary
Ghost Adventures Moundsville State Penitentiary