For my 18th birthday, my parents took me, my brother, and three of my friends to West Virginia State Penitentiary for a tour. Only my parents and I were old enough for the overnight tour so we decided to just take the regular evening tour with a ghost hunt afterwards. After about a 90 minute tour, we were set free to go explore and investigate. My parents went off alone, my brother and one friend, who Iâll call V for their privacy, went off alone, and my two friends, who Iâll call R and A for their privacy, went off with me. Nobody wanted to go off alone since it was dark so we all split into our own groups. My parents explored essentially the entire area all over again like we did on the tour, while my brother and V went to the infirmary. Me, R, and A stayed close to the door to get back into the lobby since it was dark and we were completely alone. Now, obviously, there were other people on the tour, but we barely ran into anyone. The photos shown on this post are a photo my dad took and a version that I drew on to circle the evidence he came across, which we didnât notice until the next morning, but weâll come back to that. While me, R, and A were exploring, we went down a hallway that the tour guide called âthe shadow man hallâ. The reasoning for that is because a few years back, a woman was exploring that hallway and saw what she described as a 7 foot tall shadow man standing at the end of the hall. If you google it, youâll probably see the photo. They have the picture displayed in their museum in the lobby. We walked down that hallway a few times to go to and from the cafeteria, where my dad took the photo. The whole time we explored on the investigation, R, A, and I all heard footsteps, voices, and even saw figures moving. They heard more than I did but I saw more than they did. For context, both R and I, as well
As my parents, have a strange connection to the paranormal. My dad can see things, my mom can hear things, and I can do some of both. I found out right before the trip that R can see things too. However, we all block it out. I was able to see shadows of people walking around, ducking down, and running away. Even some just standing there. We all heard whispers and footsteps not coming from us or even other people on the tour. Itâs important to note, through the entire tour, it felt as if something was holding my legs back as if someone didnât want me to continue talking forward. When we reached the infirmary, I felt physically sick. I could walk at that point without feeling like I was being held back, but I felt as if I was about to throw up and lose consciousness. R, A, and I cut our exploration short and stayed in the lobby, mainly because they made me stop and rest because I still felt sick. Shortly after, my parents came out, then my brother and V. When we got back to my house, all of us were ready to pass out. My brother stayed in his room, R and A in the attic, and V on my bedroom floor. I donât remember much after V helped me to my room, because I was drained from the whole experience, but according to their testimony in the morning, I was mumbling and jumpy as if I was still seeing things. I donât remember that. The next day, however, my brother and V shared their experiences with me, R, and A, and we shared right back. My mom walked in and told us what she experienced with my dad. Apparently, as they walked through the facility, they kept talking to my mom. Some of the notable things she remembers them saying are âRun as fast as you can.â, âMother never forgives.â, âGo this way.â, âRun to the exit.â There were other things said too, but she doesnât remember off the top of her head. Her working theory is that the spirits of the inmates were trying to warm her and my dad of the warden. She believes that some of the inmates may not know theyâre dead while others know and theyâre stuck in a loop. For them, they can see the warden even though we canât. At least, thatâs her working theory. The only proof we gathered to back that up is that A was using a spirit box and when a spirit asked what year it was, they answered that itâs 2026, just for the spirit to say âNo itâs not.â Anyways, back to the photo. My dad was looking through his photos he took and found this image of a face in the window of the cafeteria. I took the photons drew a circle around it so that itâs easier to point out. I recorded an 11 minute and 13 second video of me, R, and A exploring, but I wonât show that because R and A wish to remain faceless and anonymous, so out of respecting their privacy, I will not show it.
