Missouri State Penitentiary, also known as “The Walls”, was in operation from 1836 to 2004 and is located in Jefferson City. Before its closing, it was the oldest continually operating penitentiary west of the Mississippi River. In 1967, Time Magazine named it the “bloodiest 47 acres in America”, and it was Missouri’s primary maximum security facility. Today, the Jefferson City Convention and Visitor’s Bureau opens the prison seasonally for public tours given by former corrections officers, guards, and wardens who worked within its walls. Could you survive Missouri State Penitentiary tours? Find out about one of the most haunted places in Missouri … if you dare:

Kate Richards O’Hare was given a five-year sentence for giving an anti-war speech.
Matt Taber/Flickr
The sentence was commuted by President Woodrow Wilson in 1920, and she was later given a full pardon by President Calvin Coolidge.
Famous inmates have included Kate Richards O'Hare, “Pretty Boy” Floyd, Carl Austin Hall and Bonnie Heady, James Earl Ray, and Sonny Listen.
Steve Mays/Flickr
Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd was sent there for robbery in 1925 and served 3 ½ years of a five-year sentence. He was an infamous outlaw who was eventually killed by the police while evading his capture in 1934.
Carl Austin Hall and Bonnie Heady were sentenced to death in the 1950s for the kidnapping and murder of a young boy and were sent to the prison to carry out their sentence.
Flickr/ Jason Bernth
James Earl Ray, the man who later assassinated Martin Luther King Jr., was a prisoner of the penitentiary from 1960 to 1967, when he escaped in a bread box. Professional boxer Sonny Liston was sentenced to five years at the prison in 1950 for robbery, later getting early parole for good behavior.
There were three major riots at the Missouri State Penitentiary, the most deadly occurring in 1954. The guards were overrun and the state highway patrol, state National Guard, and city police departments were all called in to help.
Matt Taber/Flickr
Once it was finally under control, four inmates had been killed, 29 had been injured, and there had been one attempted suicide. In addition, four guards had been seriously injured, and several buildings had been burned with more than 5 million dollars in damages that would take over ten years to repair. Fortunately, no inmates were able to escape during the incident. The State of Missouri’s male death row was located at the Missouri State Penitentiary until April 1989.
The death row inmates were held in a below-ground unit, isolated from other inmates, unable to leave the special facility, and were only allowed one hour of exercise per day in a fenced area adjoining the facility. The restrictions on movement, limited access to programs and turn-of-the-century facilities were a source of controversy and legal embattlements and eventually, the Missouri Department of Corrections began to use an internal death row classification system.
Mike/Flickr
Privileges were awarded for good behavior, medical procedures and delivery were improved, and a "privacy room" was created where death row inmates could attend religious services. Tours of the prison showcase the history of the prison and the early penal eras in the U.S.

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On your visit, you might see the control center, the upper yard, cellblocks in housing unit A (the oldest remaining cellblock, built in 1868) and other housing units, the dungeon cells, the industry area, the exercise yard, and the gas chamber where a total of 40 inmates, men and women, were executed.
Mike/Flickr
Tour Restrictions: no children under 10 are permitted due to the nature of the subject matter. Photographs are allowed, but video recordings are not. No smoking or food is allowed. Tours are not wheelchair accessible, simply due to the age of the buildings, and all attendees must sign a waiver of liability, including a guardian’s signature for visitors under 18.
Reservations are required.
Mike/Flickr
It is also cautioned that those with asthma, heart conditions, prone to seizures, or with mobility limitations should not take the tour. You will also be refused entry if you are intoxicated, wearing any form of cast or medical brace, are using crutches or are in a wheelchair.
Ghost tours, ghost hunts, public and private overnight investigations, and other types of tours are also available.
Steve Mays/Flickr
On the ghost tour, strange occurrences are the focus as guests are guided through Housing Unit 1, A-Hall (built in 1868), Dungeon Cells, The Upper Yard, Housing Unit 3 and the Gas Chamber. The prison also provides ghost tour lessons, where you can learn from paranormal experts how to use equipment, take photographs and recognize paranormal activity, followed by a two hour ghost hunt.
Guests are guided and given a history of the prison as well as locations where activity has occurred, then are allowed to do their own investigation using paranormal devices.
Steve Mays/Flickr
For all tours, guests are encouraged to bring their own flashlight for low visibility areas.
Steve Mays/Flickr
Tour schedule and availability is accessible on the website. Student and group rates are also available! For the most up-to-date tour schedule, tickets, and more, make sure to visit the official website.

And, finally, here’s a short video to further illustrate the history of this terrifying relic from the past and to take virtual Missouri State Penitentiary tours :

 

Have you ever taken the Missouri State Penitentiary tours? What was it like, and what did you experience? Tell us your tales in the comments – we love hearing from you. For more haunted Missouri, take a look at this creepy, haunted road trip in MO.

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More to Explore

Scary Prison in Missouri

Tori Jane | November 11, 2021

What are some real haunted places in Missouri?  

Of course! In fact, Missouri just so happens to be a great place for folks that are curious about the paranormal. A long history almost certainly bodes well for paranormal enthusiasts. For example, the old Missouri State Penitentiary is more than 175 years old and, with a long, dark, and violent history, it’s said to be absolutely crawling with ghosts. There have been more than 100 investigations into the haunting here, and nowadays you can get a tour of the place without having to trespass. Of course, no list of Missouri hauntings would be complete without a mention of the Lemp Mansion, in St. Louis. Not only is it considered to be among the most haunted places in the state – it's considered to be one of the most haunted places in the entire country. There’s also the old governor’s mansion in Jefferson City and the old Vaile mansion in Independence. Feeling brave? You might be interested in this haunted Missouri road trip we’ve put together!  

Are there any local ghost stories in Missouri?  

Missouri, like most places, has its fair share of local legends and lore. For example, the aforementioned Vaile mansion is filled to the brim with stories and legends; it’s said that the property is haunted to this day by the spirit of Sylvia Vaile, who died before her distraught husband – who had her buried on the front lawn in glass-topped coffin flush with the ground, so he could still see her even though her body was bound to deteriorate. It’s said that she still walks the grounds, and around the house. There are also several hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts that are the subjects of plenty of local lore, like the Morse Mill Hotel in Dittmer, for instance. Supposedly, American serial killer Bertha Gifford killed her first victim here, and the dungeon somewhere in the hotel is haunted by a former slave. Yikes.  

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Featured Addresses
Missouri State Penitentiary, 115 Lafayette St, Jefferson City, MO 65101, USA