Abandoned places aren’t tough to find in Missouri. However, one certainly stands out among the rest – for both its bloody history and for the spirits who are said to remain. This abandoned Missouri prison has gained notoriety in the state and beyond, and for good reason. It just might be one of the most haunted places on earth.

The Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City hasn’t locked up a single prisoner since it closed in 2004, but that doesn’t mean some of those imprisoned by its walls don’t still remain.
Facebook/Missouri State Penitentiary
Said to be teeming with the paranormal, the state corrections facility has been deemed the “47 bloodiest acres in America,” by Time Magazine. You might also hear this infamous prison referred to as The Walls.
Facebook/Missouri State Penitentiary
Plenty of infamous figures have been locked up at the prison, which opened in 1836, among them Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin, James Earl Ray, and boxer Sonny Liston. Ray, in fact, would go on to escape from the prison.
Facebook/Missouri State Penitentiary
Ironically, despite numerous prisoners who managed to escape, Missouri State Penitentiary was a tightly-controlled maximum security prison.
The prison also received notoriety for its 1954 prison riot, which resulted in four inmate deaths, 50 injuries, and more than $5 million in damages.
Facebook/Missouri State Penitentiary

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Along with its infamous inmates, Missouri State Penitentiary was also known for its use of the death penalty. Death row inmates were originally executed by hanging. That evolved to lethal gas then the lethal injection.
Google/Joe
While the prison may have shuttered in 2004, many believe that the spirits of some of its prisoners remain – long after their deaths – and they tend to make themselves known.
Google/Blake Roller
Both employees and visitors tell eerie tales of the paranormal, including seeing the apparitions of desperate prisoners trying to escape.
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Experience the paranormal for yourself – if you’re lucky – on one of the ghost tours or one of the paranormal investigations the prison now hosts. Overnight paranormal investigations are also available.
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Book your paranormal tour on the official website of Missouri State Penitentiary. Or, stop by the Missouri State Penitentiary Facebook page.
Google/Miriam Simonsen

Have you been to this abandoned Missouri prison? Did you experience the paranormal? Let us know in the comments! Up for more paranormal adventure? Follow the haunted road trip that will lead you to the scariest places in Missouri.

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