This Ghost Hunt In An Abandoned Texas Jail Isn’t For The Faint Of Heart
By Katie Lawrence|Published October 01, 2018
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Katie Lawrence
Author
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and began writing for OnlyInYourState in 2015.
Today, Katie writes, edits, and performs several other tasks for OnlyInYourState and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on with a hot cup of coffee, practicing yoga, baking, or exploring the beautiful Lone Star State (in particular, the vast and mystical West Texas desert).
It’s officially October, and y’all know what that means – doing all of the spooky activities possible before Halloween. Going on a ghost hunt has always been on our bucket list, and there’s an incredible opportunity later this month for all who share that sentiment.
Haunted Rooms is hosting a public paranormal investigation in the Old Gonzales County Jail Museum, a place where two prisoners died by hanging and countless others were driven into madness after being locked in a dungeon with no access to the outside world save for a few holes above the door for air and light.
Places like this are notorious for harboring the negative energy of those who inhabited it…and their spirits aren’t always the friendliest. Are you brave enough to face what might be lurking in the shadows?
Built in 1887, the Gothic architecture is vastly different than jails of this era with cookie-cutter blueprints.
Not only does its unique appearance attest to an incredibly rich history, but the gaping windows and A-frame roof also add an element of eeriness perfect for a ghost hunt.
Upon entering the building, you'll see an office once belonging to the sheriff as well as three bedrooms, a kitchen, and bathroom used as living quarters for jailers.
At the hallway's end is the dungeon, in which the only light and air came from holes above the door. Imagine being locked in such a room with no concept of time or night and day, nobody to talk to - in fact, no noise at all save for your own screams when the silence became too overwhelming. Conditions like that are undoubtedly the makings of a vengeful spirit.
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Display cases on the lower floor feature items taken from prisoners as well as information about the law enforcement officials who served here over the years.
They say artifacts once belonging to deceased individuals can serve as a conduit for their spirits to enter our world. That coupled with prisoners having stronger ties to the jail than anyplace else is a recipe for paranormal activity.
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Upstairs is a wing known as "the runaround" that housed low-risk prisoners who were allowed to intermingle.
Death cells, which were sealed with forged-iron doors, are located nearby. Not much better than the dungeon, these tiny rooms provided little-to-no opportunity for human contact. It's hard to even fathom how much negative energy must be pent up within their walls.
Four were done outside the jail, but the final two took place right here. The last to be executed, Albert Howard, claimed the courthouse clock would proclaim his innocence after execution by showing a different time on each side. Since then, the four faces have rarely been consistent with one another.
Hosted by Haunted Rooms, the hunt lasts from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Saturday, October 13.
You'll go through a brief paranormal investigation training before hunting all night long, experimenting with equipment like dowsing rods, trigger objects, and EMF meters. A psychic will be in attendance, and you'll be provided snacks + drinks whenever the urge hits (stress eating is 100% okay in these extenuating circumstances.
Tickets are $79 per person, and children are welcome as long as they're accompanied by an adult.
The jail is located at 414 St. Lawrence Street, Gonzales, TX 78629. Click here for more information + to purchase tickets.
Visitors before you have experienced being scratched, having their hair pulled, nausea, hearing footsteps + whistling, seeing shadows, and much more inexplicable phenomena.
