A Tour Of This Haunted Prison In Mississippi Is Not For The Faint Of Heart
By Daniella DiRienzo|Published November 19, 2016
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for more than 30 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as the Mississippi-based Parents & Kids Magazine. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
Aside from being one of the oldest cities in Mississippi, Natchez also has a reputation for being one of the most haunted. The historic town has long been associated with the supernatural and includes dozens of sites believed to be haunted. According to some, the old Natchez jail is one of those sites and its dark past is to blame.
Take a look:
Today, the Victorian building at 314 State Street houses city offices; however, that wasn’t always the case.
To this day, the second floor contains the original death row cells and a trap door that was used to execute prisoners by hanging. There are also bars remaining on several of the windows.
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Claims of supernatural occurrences within the jail have been circulating since it was first built.
In the building’s early days, prisoners complained about hearing moaning, footsteps, clanking chains, and cells opening and closing when there were no guards around.
One incident involves several trustees who were doing some painting around the jail. When the men got close to the trap door, they began hearing strange voices. Another story involves a deputy, who was living at the jail. One night, he went into the kitchen to make a sandwich, and a loaf of bread was floating in mid-air. It’s said that he was so terrified he never went into the kitchen again.
By the mid-1990s, the building was no longer used as a jail, but that doesn’t mean the hauntings stopped.
To this day, several city employees have claimed to experience some type of supernatural phenomenon within the building. Strange happenings include inexplicable noises, water faucets and office equipment mysteriously turning on and off, and, more recently, the presence of a shadowy figure.
Several paranormal investigations have been conducted in the historic jail, with one of the most recent taking place in February of this year.
Ready to visit the old Natchez jail? Consider taking The Natchez Ghost Tour, which includes a tour of the jail along with several other of the city’s most haunted sites. Click here for tour information.
