Step inside one of America’s most notorious lockups in this haunted prison ghost hunt episode at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Opened in 1836, the prison operated for 168 years and was long considered the oldest continually operating prison west of the Mississippi before it was finally decommissioned in 2004.
Its history is soaked in violence, tragedy, and unforgettable headlines. In 1954, a massive riot erupted inside the walls—causing roughly $5 million in damage, leaving four inmates dead, and putting nearly 2,500 inmates “loose” inside the prison during the chaos. Years later, the penitentiary became infamous nationwide when Time magazine dubbed it the “bloodiest 47 acres in America,” tied to the wave of serious assaults reported on the grounds in 1963–1964.
And then there’s the execution legacy: the prison’s gas chamber was used to put 40 people to death between 1937 and 1989, before Missouri’s death row operations were moved elsewhere. The halls also held infamous names—including Sonny Liston and James Earl Ray—adding another layer to the dark reputation that still clings to the cellblocks.
Now the place is known not just for its past, but for what people claim still happens after dark: footsteps in empty tiers, voices in the dungeon, shadow figures in doorways, and violent energy that seems to surge in the most infamous areas—like the old housing units, the dungeon, and the execution wing.
In this documentary-style haunted prison ghost hunt episode, Tim Wood and Kristin Manning enter the Missouri State Penitentiary to investigate reports of escalating activity—capturing real EVP spirit communication, documenting chilling responses in the darkest sections of the prison, and making a shocking paranormal discovery that suggests a disturbing connection to other hauntings across the U.S. This is a real paranormal investigation… and whatever is inside these walls may not want us leaving with answers.