West Virginia State Penitentiary

Photo: License: Public Domain

This gothic structure operated as a penitentiary from 1876 to 1995. Courts ruled that the 5 x 7-foot (2.1 m) cells were cruel and unusual punishment and the prison was closed. The site is now maintained as a tourist attraction and training facility.

The prison has appeared in various books, movies, and television shows.

Sci Fi Channel's show Ghost Hunters and ABC Family's Scariest Places On Earth have both featured the Penitentiary.

Hanging was the method of execution until 1949 with eighty-five men meeting that fate. Beginning in 1951, electrocution became the means of execution.