Archive briefing
The Darkives lists 18 prisons & gaols where our community has documented paranormal phenomena. They span 2 countries, led by the United Kingdom (10) and the United States (8), and the most-recorded areas are Gloucestershire (2), Pennsylvania (2) and West Virginia (2).
The phenomena most often recorded at these prisons & gaols are ghost and spirit activity (18).
Members have filed 3 first-hand witness reports across 1 of these places; each location page holds its full history, photos and reports.
United Kingdom
10
Ghost › IntelligentBodmin Jail
Bodmin, Cornwall
Bodmin Jail, built in 1779 on the edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, is one of Britain’s most haunted prisons. Once notorious for executions and brutal…
Prison / GaolOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentCrumlin Road Gaol
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a foreboding 19th-century prison infamous for its executions and unrest. From condemned cells to…
Prison / GaolOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionDerby Gaol
Derby, Derbyshire
Derby Gaol, once a Georgian prison and execution site, is one of England’s most haunted buildings. Prisoners were hanged outside its doors and buried…
Prison / GaolOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionHMP Gloucester
Gloucester, Gloucestershire
HMP Gloucester, a former Georgian prison built on medieval foundations, carries a grim legacy of executions, illness, and unrest. From shadow figures…
Prison / GaolOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentInveraray Jail
Inveraray, Scotland
Inveraray Jail, in Argyll, Scotland, is a 19th-century courthouse and prison steeped in misery and haunting. Behind its grey façade echo the voices…
Prison / GaolOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentLittledean Jail
Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Littledean Jail in Gloucestershire, a grim 18th-century prison turned crime museum, is notorious for its dark energy and hauntings. Once housing…
Prison / GaolOpen file
GhostPeterhead Prison
Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
Opened in 1888, Peterhead Prison became one of Scotland’s most feared penal institutions, earning the nickname “Scotland’s Alcatraz.” Its history of…
Prison / GaolOpen file
GhostShepton Mallet Prison
Shepton Mallet, Somerset
With a dark history full of untimely deaths and multiple public executions, Shepton Mallet Prison claims to be one of the most haunted prisons in the…
Prison / GaolOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheorySt. Georges Hall
Liverpool, Merseyside
St George’s Hall, Liverpool’s immense neoclassical landmark, blends grandeur with a darker underlayer of holding cells and courtrooms. Visitors…
Prison / GaolOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentStrangeways Prison (HMP Manchester)
Manchester, England
Strangeways Prison, Manchester’s towering Victorian fortress, has held murderers, martyrs, and madmen since 1868. Built on punishment and sorrow, it…
Prison / GaolOpen file
United States
8
3 reportsGhostEastern State Penitentiary
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Historic prison with reports of shadowy figures and eerie sounds
Prison / GaolOpen file- Ghost
Alcatraz Island
San Francisco, California
Infamous island prison with dark history
Prison / GaolOpen file - Ghost
Cambria County Jail
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania
Victorian-era jail
Prison / GaolOpen file - Ghost
Moundsville Penitentiary
Moundsville, West Virginia
Gothic prison with execution history
Prison / GaolOpen file - Ghost
Ohio State Reformatory
Mansfield, Ohio
Imposing Gothic prison featured in The Shawshank Redemption
Prison / GaolOpen file - Ghost
Old Idaho Penitentiary
Boise, Idaho
Western frontier prison
Prison / GaolOpen file - Ghost
Old Montana State Prison
Deer Lodge, Montana
Maximum security prison
Prison / GaolOpen file - Ghost
West Virginia State Penitentiary
Moundsville, West Virginia
Maximum security prison
Prison / GaolOpen file
Continue exploring
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