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.
From the time it was constructed in 1891 until 1975, it served as the Adams County Jail.
Even though it’s been years since it was a jail, eerie reminders of the building’s past can still be found.
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.
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.
Over time, prisoners’ claims were validated by jailers and trustees, who had some inexplicable experiences of their own.
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.
Review the results of that investigation
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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.
Looking for another haunted spot in Mississippi to visit? Check out "The Story Behind This One Haunted Mississippi House Will Give You Nightmares."
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