Nevada State Prison, located in Carson City, opened in 1862 as the Nevada Territorial Prison. It was among the oldest operating US penitentiaries until its closure. The prison was designed to accommodate 841 inmates and 211 employees; however, in September 2011, there were only 219 inmates. In 2012, the state closed the reportedly haunted Nevada prison due to budgetary reasons. Today, this haunted Nevada prison has attracted paranormal investigators as well as others who are curious about the penitentiary and who take advantage of the facility's summer tours.

The Nevada State Prison in Carson City. It was closed in 2012. In 2015, the prison was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

An aerial view of the prison taken in 1999:

An early photo of the prison:

5th Street can be seen immediately to the left of the lower wall in this picture. Back in the day, travelers could drive by and wave to the inmates.

On 8 February 1924, Gee Jon (28) was the first person in the US to be executed in the gas chamber. This occurred at Nevada State Prison. The new gas chamber removed executions by hanging or by gunfire and represented a new chapter in the American criminal justice system.

An undated photograph of Nevada State Prison's execution chamber in Carson City. Even after the prison's closure in 2012, executions were still carried out here until a new execution chamber was built at Ely State Prison in 2016. While Nevada State Prison was open, 43 inmates were executed. Additional inmates were victims of riots or ambushes and it is true that many men who were sent here never came out alive.

The prison routinely appears on lists of Nevada's haunted places. Among the most reported paranormal activity includes disembodied voices, other unexplained noises, energy pockets, moving orbs, and various apparitions

Syfy's Ghost Adventures crew came to investigate the prison and to attempt to communicate with the spirits of executed inmates.

The crew's high-tech equipment such as EMF (electromagnetic field) meters and thermal cameras picked up various voices, saw numerous apparitions, and felt some physical contact when nobody was around. During one investigation, what appeared to be a mist clouded one of the cells where disembodied legs were also seen.

The state prison yard. As is the case in many prisons, deadly riots occurred here, and several inmates lost their lives.

The mess hall and kitchen area were considered to be the most dangerous part of the prison during its operation. Once, a racial riot led to a murder, and paranormal investigators have recorded considerable strange activity here. Once, a pair of small flashlights placed in a back room appeared to "respond" to yes/no questions, and EVP (electronic voice phenomena) equipment picked up a man laughing and metal-on-metal sounds you would expect to hear in a kitchen.

A prison shower room that is said to be haunted by an inmate who was allegedly murdered here. Former inmates corroborate the story and many have seen and experienced various paranormal activity attributed to the victim.

Solitary confinement (or "the hole") where problematic inmates were sent. While there are limits to the time spent in solitary today, back then, one man spent seven years in the hole and became blind and extremely violent. He was eventually given a lobotomy.

There are many areas in the old prison where paranormal activity has been witnessed. Take a look.

Some type of service or transport stairway.

Or this area underneath the prison.

Apparitions have been seen at night behind barred windows.

Then there's this random cave. Seriously, who wants to explore this?

Whether Nevada State Prison is, indeed, haunted is something you'll have to decide for yourself. I don't know about you, but I firmly believe in ghosts and hauntings. Merely researching and writing this place will give me nightmares tonight. Have you visited this haunted Nevada prison? Did you experience any paranormal activity? Please share your thoughts, comments, and experiences below.