Ghost Hunt at West Virginia Penitentiary Part 4

Part Four
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Here is the final installment of a four part post on our Ghost Hunt at West Virginia Penitentiary. This one includes tips and suggestions for those who plan to make the trip themselves.

• Book early at West Virginia Penitentiary Tours online. At the time of this post all Ghost Hunts are booked through July and they are selling out fast for tour hunts scheduled for August.
• Our trip was in April and it was chilly. However, personally I would rather be a bit cold than too hot. I read one post on the forums where someone said it was over 100 degrees in July.
• Plan ahead. Do your research on the history of the penitentiary. It helps if you know a little something before you go. Your guide may not be very informed and then you will miss out on some of the best places in the prison to search for activity. It also helps when separating fact from fiction.
• Bring the typical ghost hunting necessities.

1. Even if you have never been on a ghost hunt before, pick up a small digital recorder for taping EVPs. You just might be surprised what you pick up. I had good luck with the RCA RP5030 Digital Voice Recorder. It sells for $47.00 at WalMart and $30.00 at Big Lots. Perfect for Mac users as well as PCs. For Mac simply connect to your computer via included USB cable.
2. Bring your camera but test it out in the dark first. Don’t be afraid to bring a good digital camera. I was worried about the dust and grime but really it wasn’t that bad. I would have been disappointed if I ended up with low quality photographs. you may also consider a movie camera.
3. A flashlight or headlamp is a must. I chose to bring a headlamp and wrapped it around my wrist because I didn’t want to blind anyone when I turned to look at them. I bought a Rayovac Industrial Hands Free Headlamp. It lists here for $13.00. I got mine at Big Lots for $5.00.
4. A small pad and pen for taking notes. I ended up not using mine on this trip because I had too much else going on to dig it out of my backpack. We tried to be sure that when we did recordings we stated our location and the time and date. I think this system is sufficient for recordings however you may want to jot down notes for your photographs, things you want to research, things you don’t want to forget. It may have been better if I had mine more accessible like around my neck. I probably would have got more use out of it.
5. I brought extra batteries but didn’t need them. My batteries did not drain of power like I was warned they would but better prepared than not.

• Bring a survival kit and dress for the trip

1. A small pocket size first aid kit that includes the essentials just in case: a few band-aids, a sample size bottle of anti-bacterial hand soap, aspirin or other headache/pain medicine.
2. Munchies and bottled water if you think you might get hungry throughout the night. You are fed two slices of some fairly good pizza and a soda right after the 90 minute tour. Coffee is available early on in the evening but it was put away before 3:30. There are soda machines in the lobby but I don’t know how well stocked they are.
3. In colder months you might want to bring disposable pocket hand warmers.
4. Dress in layers. I wore a short sleeve t-shirt under a long sleeve t-shirt with a sweatshirt over that. I kept a coat in the lobby and ended up wearing that too around midnight.
5. Wear old shoes. There are places wear you might run into standing water even on the second floor. It is not filthy here as some people describe it but there is a lot of dust and dirt. You will do a lot of walking so make sure your shoes are broken in and comfortable. Even in the summer I would not recommend flip flops or open toed shoes. There are hazards everywhere especially in the stairwells. Be careful on those as the concrete is crumbling away and the steel toes are bent up in places making it easy to trip and fall down a flight of concrete steps.

• Eat dinner before arriving. Don’t count on the pizza to be your last meal.
• Arrive on time for your tour but don’t worry about getting there first. Nothing begins until everyone is signed in and in the lobby. Most likely this will not be before 8:00. If it is raining make sure you have an umbrella as the line to get in is long and you are outside in the elements.
• All parking is on the street in front of the penitentiary. Parking is not secured so do not leave valuables in the car. We did not have a problem and I did notice patrol cars going up and down the street, however no sense tempting someone by leaving your purse in the car.
• If you think you might need to doze or rest during the night, bring a fold up lawn chair for the lobby. You can find a place to set it up in the visitor section.
• Use the restroom when you can. There is only one so don’t attempt it when you arrive or before or after pizza. The line is simply too long.
• No need to print a map of the facility. They have some on the counter. Maybe I will work on creating a better one though and post it here.
• I’m not big on T-shirts but bring cash if you want a souvenir. (shirts, caps, marbles, books, dvds, and yes they did have postcards)
• No matter when you arrive try to move towards the front to listen to the initial instructions from your guides. It is difficult to hear from the hallways. This way you can choose which guide you would like to take the 90 minute tour with. If you get a good vibe from Guide #1 then make your way to the front so you can be in that group. If Guide #2 appeals to you then hang back. You will have to wait around about 15 to 20 minutes to start the second tour though. Don’t worry - you have all night.
• I don’t know if this will work on every tour but if you want a shot at being alone in the Sugar Shack head there first. We assumed that everyone else would do the same thing and were surprised to find it empty.
• If they don’t tell you about the gymnasium it is located at the end of South Block and up on the second floor. Don’t go too far in as the center of the floor has heaved up and it is a catastrophe waiting to happen. We didn’t stay here long enough as a few fellow ghost hunters arrived right on our heels. i wish we would have though. It may have been a good place for an EVP.
• North Block is the main attraction and as you have all night I would recommend heading to the fourth level of cells in South Block for some quiet time alone with your camera and your recorder.
• Somewhere in South is a padded cell. Again in hindsight wish we would have tried for some EVPs.
• Don’t forget to visit Charlie and Bobby’s window. It is located in the hallway between North and South just outside the cafeteria and what the others called the maintenance room. I believe it was the second to the last set of windows before you get to North Block.
• If it is too busy for good EVPs just give it some time. We started with 86 people and by 2:30 over half of them had called it a night. By the time we left at 3:45 there were only 20 left. Would have been nice to stick around. Things were getting busy I think.
• If I had to do it over again (and I just might) I think I would make the trip earlier in the day and get a hotel room to rest up in before the evening begins. Then have a place to crash for a couple of hours and maybe a shower before driving home. It would also make it easier to see the other attractions in Moundsville that I missed.

Well I think that covers it. That is all the advice I can offer other than to say be quiet, be respectful, be patient and above all be very open minded - or you might just walk by a ghost rattling a window and blame it on the wind

Enjoy!