Spirits in Schuylkill County Prison

The county prison in Schuylkill county rests majestically on top of the hill overlooking the city of Pottsville. The fortress bears the resemblance of a medievel castle. A large brick tower looms in the front keeping watch of all that's going on below. The prison began it's operations in 1851, in less than 5 years the prison had doubled in size. Behind the lovely brick castle facade hinds a dark and gloomy past. The county prison was a popular place for numerous hangings. The first execution in the current prison took place in 1875. Two short years later the county would host it's most famous hanging. A 6 man gallow was constructed to hang Mollie Maguires convicted of murder. Over the years many more hangings and executions took place on the property, but none were as famed as the nationally known Mollie Maguires.

Numerous prisoners who have had the unfortunate chance of visiting the prison claim the place is full of spirits. Unexplained screams in the night go reported, ghostly spirits have been spotted by former guards as well as inmates. A number of employees on the graveyard shift have often heard chains rattling, particularly near the midnight hour. Are their ghostly spirits roaming around the dark halls of this local legend, or are imaginations just running a little higher when confinement is felt? Maybe they'll let me spend a night there, but do I have to commit a crime!

Old York County Prison, Pennsylvania

Near the York Revolution baseball stadium, lies an imposing fortress of abandonment, and solitude. The original prison on this sight was built in 1853, with it's imposing castle facade, it was sure to intimidate. The trapdoor near the warden's office used for hangings didn't hurt, either.

Designed by B.F. Willis, there was originally a complex of several other buildings right next to the prison, including the York poorhouse, and a hospital, which have since made way for an elementary school.

Today the prison still stands, although the castle facade was torn down when construction was done to the prison. In 1908, during re-construction there was almost an uproar at the prison, as inmates got very anxious over a fire that had started over some faulty construction equipment. During the 1950's, the prison again received some more bad press when overcrowded prisoners were forced to stay in padded cells. There are also stories of segregation and misuse of African-American inmates during this time as well. But one of the most disturbing tales of this time tells of inmates being forced to eat road kill and venison the deputies would gather up along the roads. The prison eventually closed in 1979 when a newly expansive super-maximum facility was built in Springettsbury Township.

One of the most interesting things about this place is that it's for sale. Having been on the market since 2007, several investors have had a few great ideas, such as a nightclub, hotel, Halloween attraction, and even a restaurant. At 30,000 square feet seems like they all could work. Guess they couldn't come up with the 3.9 million asking price.

Aside from the desolateness of the place, there's still some prison flair left in the place. A few of the cells have hand carved drawings in them, including one with a portrait of Jimi Hendrix, surrounded by titles of many popular songs from eras past.

The prison is not open to the public and is posted with "no trespassing" signs. We would not recommend taking any visits to the inside without permission of the real estate company which owns the property. Several inside visitors have noticed use of the prison by homeless squatters and addicts, although for the right price it could be yours. Just let them know Outta the Way sent you, we could use the $25,000 finders fee!

Video of Old Prison
An inside look

Haunted Lancaster County Prison

The City of Lancaster gets commended for striving to keep the history of the city. Most downtown businesses are in buildings dating back over 150 years. Given all this history and the fact that most still exist, leaves the City of Lancaster ripe with ghost tales.

Originally built in 1737, the Lancaster County Prison, with its castle façade, is a great representation of this. Yet behind that façade that houses criminals, many strange happenings are going on.

The prison held public hangings until 1912 and those sentenced to death were chained to cinder blocks right behind these castle walls. The cells and chains used to hold the prisoners are still in existence, and some believe the prisoners might not be far behind. Late nights in the cells are sure to send a shiver through anyone. Whispers, scratching and chain rattles are a normal occurrence. I’d rather not spend an evening in the prison to find out. I recommend that you don’t either.

Schuylkill County Prison and The Mollie Maguires.

Not too far from the Yuengling brewery in Pottsville lies a castle of solitude. The Schuylkill county prison was originally built in Orwigsburg in 1814. After some expansions and renovations it became too small and was changed into a school house. In 1851 the prison moved to it's current location in Pottsville. Completed with a castle facade, it was surely meant to intimidate.

The prison consisted of 38 cells, each cell holding 2 inmates. In 1876 a new addition was added to the fortress. A total of 86 new cells along with 6 solitary confinement cells in the basement were added. The following year the prison would gain much of it's infamy. On June 21, 1877 the largest mass execution in Pennsylvania history would take place. Six Mollie Maguires were hung at the prison, while another four were executed at the prison in Mauch Chunk. All ten men proclaimed their innocence. The whole history of the Mollie Maguires is shrouded in much doubt and full of conspiracies through large coal companies. In order to accommodate the hangings the Schuylkill county prison had a six man gallow built, though they opted to hang the men two at a time instead of all six at once. On the night of the executions miners and their families gathered outside the prison in silence to claim the innocence of the lives that would be lost here.

The county of Schuylkill executed a total of sixteen people by 1911, including nine Mollie Maguires. The state took control over all executions in 1911, though none remain as controversial as the ones that took place on that early summer evening in 1877.

Outta the Way! Tours the Haunted Dungeon

Last week Outta the Way took our first group tour. We paid a visit to the dungeon, located beneath the Columbia market house. As we descended down the wooden steps into the dark hallways we knew we were in for a treat. The halls were lined with gothic lamps giving of an orange hue. Giving you the feeling Hell couldn't be too far away.

As we visited the cells, each white with obvious years of abuse. We learned about the dark history hidden under this seemingly pleasant country market house. Our guide informed us on how the prison got started, about it's architectural structure, and some of the torment felt by the prisoners of past years. The dungeon holds many terrifying tales within it's walls, perhaps even more.