The North Hall Cell Block is where the maximum-security prisoners were housed.  This area was nicknamed “The Alamo” by the prisoners due to the extreme amount of violence that occurred in this area over the years.  While we staged in this area, we conducted an experiment in which we pretended to be guards conducting an evening roll call.  During this experiment we captured an EVP of what we believe to be the sound of hard-soled shoes following us while we were walking, similar to the shoes the guards would have worn at the time the penitentiary was in operation. At the time this was recorded, all of the team members from GLH were wearing tennis shoes with rubber soles.  After staging in this area for a bit longer, we decided to make our way down to the Sugar Shack.

As we were walking down the corridor that leads out of the North Hall Cell Block, both Lon & Keith witnessed one of the many shadow figures that roam freely throughout the prison.   It appeared to be walking down the hall away from the team, turned to the right and walked through what at the time we thought was a doorway, until we got to the area in the hallway where we saw it turn to the right, and realized that there was no doorway there. 

While in the Sugar Shack, we decided to set up an experiment using two laser grid penlights to flood the area with a grid pattern, so we could detect the slightest movement.  As we were conducting an EVP session, we were able to witness what appeared to be a shadow person moving around in the far back corner of the Sugar Shack. We attempted on several occasions to get this figure to move forward and interact with us, but we unsuccessful in our attempts.  During our EVP session, we manage to capture a whisper, although we are unable to make out what it is saying.  After a few minutes the activity subsided, so we decided to move back down to the hole. 

While we were heading down to the hole, we met up the team from CPI (Kathy, Mike and Jen) and decided to do a joint EVP session.  We staged in the hole for several minutes and tried several different techniques to see if we could draw out any activity.  While we were conducting the EVP session we did capture the sound of what we believe to be a pebble being thrown at us, which was unheard at the time of the recording.  After several minutes of experiencing no further activity in this area, we decided to move back to the South Hall.

While in the South Hall Cell Blocks, each of us staged in a different cell for a period of time to see if we would have any experiences.  After a few minutes, we decided to regroup and began to wander among the cells.  As we wandered around the cell blocks, we did have a funny experience happen to us.  We reached the end of the cell blocks, and started to make our way to the next row of cells, and as we did so, we walked around a corner only to discover one of the props from the haunted house that is held here every year.  Just happened to be that the prop was a mannequin strapped into an electric chair, needless to say we were not expecting this and it gave us quite a scare and a good laugh. 

From the South Hall we made our way to the cafeteria to stage for a while.  Since the cafeteria is essentially a large open room, we decided to once again use the laser grid penlights to help detect movement.  A few minutes into our session, Fiona mentioned that her back was burning.  Upon inspection, we discovered that she had been scratched by something.  She had three scratch marks on her back that were evenly spaced and equal length, as if an unseen hand had scratched her.  We ruled out her rubbing against anything or being cut by something since the temp inside the building was around 40 degrees, and she was wearing a thick coat at the time.

During one of our breaks, we had discussed possible hot spots with the prison staff and along with Red Snyder's cell, the cafeteria is rumored to have activity mimicking demonic behavior. When Fiona received three scratches on her back, Lon, our commissioned demonologist, began challenging the entity to show itself and give proof of its presence. Responses from an ITC (Instrumental Transcommunication) device seemed to confirm something pretending to be demonic. As Lon continued interaction with the entity, the ITC responded, "Dislike!" He continued to demand definite proof of a presence and the chiller on the drinking fountain began running instantly. All three of us commented on the fountain and when Lon replied, "Is that all you've got?" the chiller shut off immediately. When we spoke about this occurrence with the prison staff later on that evening, they looked a little surprised and told us "Those drinking fountains don't work!"

While staging in the cafeteria, we also managed to capture an EVP of what sounds like an ominous piano chord, which was unheard at the time.  There is no piano located anywhere in the building, so we have no explanation for this EVP.   We staged in this area for a few more minutes, and experienced no other activity, so we decided to move on.

We next ventured back up to the psyche ward/infirmary area.   We staged in the infirmary area for a bit, and moved into the X-ray room.  As an experiment, Lon decided to lie on the X-ray table, and after doing so for a few minutes, he began to experience a sharp pain on his left side.  We made are way out of the area, and as we did, the pain subsided.  We made our way down to the North Hall Cell Block to stage in William “Red” Snyder’s cell.   We staged in the cell for a few minutes conducting an EVP session, in attempts to make contact.  During the EVP session, Keith reported seeing a figure standing between Lon and Fiona.  When Fiona asked if that was Red making himself known to us, we didn’t hear an answer, but when reviewing his audio recordings, Lon’s DVR recorded a distortion that we have never experienced before in any of our recordings.  We believe it to be an energy source manipulating the electronics inside the unit itself.  After several minutes and not experiencing any further activity, we decided to call it a night and wrapped up our investigation at approximate 5:45am.

As we walked down the corridor to the lobby to pack up our gear, Keith took a few last photos, and in one of the photos captured what appears to be a shadow of a figure near the floor. We have tried to debunk the photo from various angles and yet we can’t explain it. We thought it might have been Keith’s shadow captured when someone else took a photo but then it occurred to us that the shadow would be higher on the wall. We also captured an EVP of a door being slammed while we were talking about the shadow being captured in the photo. 

Overall the West Virginia State Penitentiary is a great place to investigate, and it was an incredible experience to spend the night locked in one of the most haunted locations in the country.  The staff at the Penitentiary is friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about the prison.  If you’re ever in the area, we highly recommended taking a tour, even if it’s the day tour. This place is just as awesome during the day as it was at night. To visit the Penitentiary, or for more info, please visit their website at www.wvpentours.com