This Prison Inspired Stephen King’s “The Shawshank Redemption” and Hosts Paranormal Tours Today

West Virginia Penitentiary, Moundsville

For 119 years, the massive stone walls of West Virginia Penitentiary kept the state’s worst offenders locked away from society.

The prison in Moundsville saw everything from deadly riots to famous escape attempts. Today, visitors can walk through the same cells that once held murderers and bank robbers.

Here’s the story behind those bars.

When West Virginia Needed Its First Prison

Governor Arthur Boreman pleaded with legislators for a state penitentiary from 1863 to 1866. They repeatedly turned him down.

The state first sent prisoners to out-of-state facilities. When this failed, they crowded inmates into county jails.

Nine prisoners broke out of the Ohio County jail in 1865, forcing action. Local newspapers demanded a solution.

On February 7, 1866, lawmakers approved $50,000 to buy land in Moundsville for a prison.

The legislature appropriated the same amount again in 1867 and 1868 to complete construction of the massive stone complex.

Building A Stone Fortress By Hand

Workers completed the North Wagon Gate in 1876 using sandstone blocks from Marshall County quarries. Prisoners built much of their own place of confinement.

The walls stood 25 feet high, measuring 5 feet thick at the base and 2.5 feet at the top. Foundation footers extended 5 feet underground.

Masons constructed the prison yard in a parallelogram shape, 682 feet long by 352 feet wide.

The prison design copied the Joliet prison in Illinois but at half the size. No original architectural drawings of the penitentiary exist today.

Daily Life Behind Stone Walls

The prison farm grew vegetables for the kitchen. The coal mine, opened in 1921, supplied all the facility’s fuel needs, saving thousands of dollars yearly.

Authorities built a school and library in 1900. Inmates who couldn’t read attended mandatory night classes.

The print shop published “Work and Hope” magazine, written by and for prisoners. The prison band performed concerts in the recreation yard and played as men walked to meals.

Baseball teams from the prison competed against local Moundsville clubs. Churches provided spiritual services in the second-floor auditorium chapel.

Death At The End Of A Rope

West Virginia centralized executions at the penitentiary in 1899. Before then, counties handled their own hangings.

Between 1899 and 1949, prison staff executed 85 men by hanging. Public viewings continued until June 19, 1931, when Frank Hyer became the last man publicly hanged.

Fourteen men died for killing their wives. Harry Powers faced the gallows in March 1938 after confessing to five murders, though suspected of many more.

A triple hanging occurred on January 4, 1924, for Sicilian “Black Handers” Philip Cannizzaro, Dick Ferry and Nick Salamante.

From Rope To Electric Chair

West Virginia switched to electrocution in 1949, becoming the last state to adopt the electric chair. Inmate Paul Glenn built the oak chair nicknamed “Old Sparky.”

Harry Burdette and Fred Painter became the first men electrocuted on March 26, 1951. They had killed a soft drink salesman during a Charleston street brawl in 1949.

Nine men died by electricity between 1951 and 1959. State officials considered it more humane than hanging.

Elmer Bruner became the last person executed in West Virginia on April 3, 1959, for killing Ruby Miller with a claw hammer in Huntington.

The 1973 Prison Uprising

Overcrowding sparked violence on March 20, 1973. Inmates seized control of part of the prison and took guards hostage.

National Guard troops surrounded the facility. Guardsmen patrolled the prison roof while state police lined Jefferson Avenue outside the walls.

Prisoner Willie Hale died from stab wounds in the basement during the chaos. He was a young Black inmate killed by fellow prisoners.

Governor Arch Moore traveled to the prison and negotiated directly with inmates. After discussions, Moore agreed to all twenty demands for better conditions, ending the standoff.

The 1979 Prison Break

Fifteen prisoners escaped on November 7, 1979. Ronald Turney Williams, serving time for murdering a police officer, led the breakout.

Williams stole a guard’s gun during the escape. On Moundsville streets, he encountered off-duty State Trooper Philip Kesner driving with his wife.

When Kesner tried stopping the escapees, Williams shot him dead. Despite being wounded, Kesner fired back before dying.

Williams remained free for over a year, sending taunting notes to police. Authorities finally captured him in 1981 after a New York City shootout with federal agents.

The New Year’s Day Riot of 1986

The worst riot erupted January 1, 1986. Security had grown dangerously thin, with many cell locks picked. Inmates freely roamed hallways.

Prisoners captured sixteen guards, took their keys, and seized the South Hall. They ransacked offices and caused $200,000 in damage.

Three inmates died during the three-day standoff, killed by fellow prisoners. Danny Lehman, president of the Avengers prison gang, became chief negotiator.

Governor Arch Moore arrived to talk directly with rioters. The standoff received national news coverage as officials worked toward resolution.

Court-Ordered Closure

Inmate Robert Crain filed a petition in 1981 challenging prison conditions. The West Virginia Supreme Court ruled in 1986 that the 5×7-foot cells constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

The prison housed 2,000 inmates at its 1960s peak. Three prisoners often shared single cells with one sleeping on the floor.

By 1995, the population dropped to 700 as newer prisons opened. The court rejected all improvement plans and ordered closure.

Officials transferred remaining inmates to Mount Olive Correctional Complex in Fayette County. A smaller regional jail opened one mile away.

Notable Inmates

Labor activist Eugene Debs served time from April to June 1919 for violating the Espionage Act before transferring to Atlanta.

Harry Powers lived at the prison until his 1938 execution. His “lonely hearts” murders inspired the novel “Night of the Hunter” by Moundsville native Davis Grubb.

R.D. Wall, inmate #44670, died in 1929 when three prisoners attacked him with dull shivs for informing on fellow inmates.

Charles Manson requested transfer to Moundsville in 1983 to be near family. Prison officials denied his request to move the convicted murderer to West Virginia.

Visiting West Virginia Penitentiary

The former prison stands at 818 Jefferson Avenue in Moundsville. Visitors can take 90-minute guided tours through the facility daily.

“Old Sparky,” the electric chair, remains on display as part of the official tour, and the prison museum features artifacts from the penitentiary’s 129-year history.

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