Moundsville Penitentiary

MOUNDSVILLE, WV - July 28, 2014

Moundsville Penitentiary was known as one of the bloodiest prisons. Many murders took place inside the prison, as well as a huge riot. So many stories are out there about this Penitentiary. The only ones that you know can be true are the stories told from people who worked in the prison. There is an amazing tour guide who was the 7th female guard to work in the prison, named Maggie.She had many stories to tell. She knew lots of the inmates personally. Many of the inmates are talented artists and some of the walls were covered in their artwork and preserved to this day. 

The cells were so tiny that it is unbelievable that two people could live in them. I couldn't even see one person let alone two.

Each cell had a set of bunk beds, a toilet, and a sink. Most inmates were allowed to participate in recreational activities so they weren't stuck in a tiny cell for 24 hours a day.

The really horrible inmates were sent to the North Hall. There they were Isolated in their cell for 22 hours a day.

Inmates in the North Hall got their food through a hole through the bars of their cell. 

The prison had a rec center and also a game room called the SugarShack. They played cards and different things in the game room, and the rec area they would work out or do more physical activities such as sports. 

The prison also had a cafeteria, administration office, and a boiler room. The boiler room was where a maintenance man was murdered. I don't remember the whole story about that but it was an interesting story. 

They tried letting the inmates garden but they tried to escape by digging a huge hole where eventually many of their belongings were found and they were finally busted. It took tons of materials to fill the hole that was the hopeful escape route for some obviously hard working inmates. 
When the death sentence was legal, one inmate created the electric chair. When the other prisoners found out they were fully of anger and hatred toward him. To preserve his life, he was transferred to another prison. The death building was torn down in because the death sentence became illegal. 
The prison eventually closed in 1995.