Legends of Alcatraz

Last updated June 21, 2020

Located in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Island and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary have been cited as one of the most haunted places in America,^[1] and also as the most haunted prison in the country.^[2] The Native Americans mentioned the evil spirits they purportedly encountered on the island long before it became a federal prison.^[3]

Prisoners, rangers and visitors have reported a wide range of alleged ghostly activity on Alcatraz, from whispering in cells and locked cell doors shutting, to phantom figures in corridors, cold spots and even the sounds of musical instruments and sewing machines. Officials for Alcatraz have dismissed the reports of ghosts at Alcatraz as nonsense and deny their existence.^[4]

Perceptions of Alcatraz

The Los Angeles Times describes Alcatraz as the "most notorious federal penitentiary this country has ever known. Its history runs far and deep, as do the stories, the rumors, and the legends", and cited it as one of five major haunted spots in California.^[5]^[6] Paranormal investigators consider the prison to be one of the most haunted places in the world.^[7]

According to popular writers, long before the prison opened on Alcatraz, early explorers to the island believed it to be haunted and it developed a reputation as a "bad place".^[8]^[9] Western explorers visiting the island felt it had a disturbing atmosphere and spoke of the moonlit paths during the night.^[10] Bones and artifacts unearthed by archaeologists on the island have indicated that it might have served as a burial ground for Native American outcasts.^[11] Native Americans, known as Ohlone (A Miwok Indian word), were the earliest known inhabitants of the Alcatraz island. Even though they avoided the island as they believed that evil spirits resided there, they were using it for deporting their criminals under the tribal law to live on the island in isolation. They also gathered eggs of birds and marine food from the island. Even after the Spanish became aware of the island in 1759, and started spreading Christianity, the natives who did not want to convert used the islands as their refuge.

The Washington Post has also claimed that Alcatraz is a place "where visitors can sense the dread of past inhabitants still trapped in the atmosphere."^[12] New York Magazine has said that although the penitentiary hasn't been operational since 1963, it "remains ultra sinister, perversely fascinating, ikonik."^[13] A documentary Haunted Alcatraz, broadcast on the Travel Channel, has said "there is little question that Alcatraz holds a particular place in our collective imagination, consistently evoking feeling, stirring and dark" and that the "power of the island" still captivates visitors after departure.^[14] A 1995 book included Alcatraz as one of The 25 Scariest Places in the World.^[15]

Prison background

Hopi inmates of the original military prison Alcatraz Light citadel Hopi.jpg — Hopi inmates of the original military prison

Fort Alcatraz was the original military installation on Alcatraz Island. It was finished in 1859 as a coastal defense, and began being used as a military prison in 1868. During the American Civil War, fort's batteries provided an important line of defense. New facilities continued to be added in the 1870s and 1880s, and in 1893, the first hospital on Alcatraz opened. A new upper prison was built in 1904, a $250,000 concrete military prison was erected between 1910 and 1912 on the site of, and incorporating parts of, the fort's old citadel. In 1933–1934, the building was modernized and became the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. It held some of America's most dangerous criminals between 1934 and 1963. During its time as a Penitentiary, 8 people were murdered at the prison by inmates; a guard was murdered in the laundry room in the late 1930s, two died during the ill-fated 1946 escape attempt, and five inmates were killed in random attacks.^[16] Five prisoners committed suicide, and at least a dozen died in total trying to escape.^[16]^[17]

Reported activity in the prison

Claims by prisoners and guards

According to writers such as E. Floyd, "almost every guard and official who served there until it was shut down by Attorney General Robert Kennedy in the early 1960s experienced something out of the ordinary" and said that park rangers occasionally still reveal "shocking supernatural secrets".^[7] During its time as a Penitentiary, both inmates and guards reported a wide range of purported ghostly activity in the prison. It is reputedly haunted by the ghosts of Native American prisoners and officials who perished on the island during the American Civil War and at the military prison.^[18]^[19] Prisoners, many of whom were declared insane after serving time at Alcatraz,^[19] reported peculiar whispering sounds in the middle of the night, floating blue lights and figures, moaning, and the clanking of chains in cells which were known to be unoccupied.^[20] One inmate in D-block was reported to have seen glowing red eyes in the dark and screamed for hours.^[18] He was found dead the following morning with a purple face, bulging eyes, and unidentified strangle marks around his throat.^[21]^[22]^[23]

Guards initially laughed at the claims of ghosts by inmates but as time progressed some were reported to have experienced unusual activity themselves, including feeling cold spots, unseen fingers on the back of their neck, and crying in the night.^[24] The first Warden of Alcatraz, James A. Johnston, was reputed to have heard a woman sobbing while conducting tour of the prison.^[24] Occupants of the prison reported seeing prisoners from the early military prison in 19th century garb walking the corridors in A-Block which would disappear when approached by the guards, and one member of staff reputedly saw a gang of Native American prisoners marching around in a circle before vanishing.^[24] Phantom gunfire, cannon blasts and fire alarms going off on their own accord have all been reported.^[20] The Warden's House, now a burnt out shell since the Occupation of Alcatraz, is also reputed to be haunted;^[25] during the time of the penitentiary, several guards reported seeing the spectre of a man with mutton-chop sideburns during a party wearing a gray suit and brimmed cap, leaving the room icy cold and extinguishing the fire in the Ben Franklin stove.^[26] A phantom lighthouse has also been said to have emerged from the fog of San Francisco bay.^[7]

Former inmate Leon "Whitey" Thompson, who worked as a guide at Alcatraz for many years and later visited it regularly before his death in 2005, believed that Alcatraz Island is haunted and has stated that "he could feel it" while he was incarcerated there. He later believed the prison to be "damned", and often had the sense of being watched by spirits.^[14]^[17] During his time in the prison, Thompson was friendly with an inmate named Johnny Haus, a big Texan. He last saw him on 25 October 1962 when he left Alcatraz and knew he'd never see Haus again.^[17] One day in the 1980s when Thompson was alone in the cellhouse waiting for visitors to arrive for a tour, he claimed to have seen a large dark figure at the end of the "Michigan Avenue" corridor. He saw the apparition walk around the corner and out of sight. Thompson rushed to the end of the corridor, but nobody was there. He believed the ghost to be that of Haus, by the way he walked and the feeling which the figure gave off. Afterwards, Thompson said "I don't care what anybody says, that was Johnny Haus".^[27]

Claims by visitors and rangers

Since its closure, reports of unexplained clanging sounds, screams, and crying have often been reported in the prison blocks.^[23]^[28] Unexplained footsteps and moaning have been reported in both A and B blocks.^[23]^[29] C-Block is reputedly haunted by the spirit of former inmate Abie Maldowitz (nicknamed Butcher) who was murdered in the laundry room.^[28] On September 5, 1984, a ranger spent the night alone on the island and was awakened by a heavy door swinging in C-Block, but found no cause for it; the door swinging continued on other nights.^[29]

D-Block is considered by paranormal investigators to have the most activity in the prison.^[21] Four of the 42 cells in this block are thought to be haunted, and unexplained voices have been reported in cells 11, 12, and 13. Cell 14-D, the worst cell for punishment in "The Hole" and of Alcatraz, is considered to be the most haunted cell in the prison.^[30] Many people report that Cell 14-D is permanently icy cold, even during the summer, and is often 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit colder than anywhere else.^[31]

Left:Al Capone at Alcatraz. Right: The showers of Alcatraz

Banjo sounds have been reported to emanate from the shower room, where Capone used to practice.^[32]^[33]^[34] A park ranger also reportedly heard Capone twanging his banjo in the shower. Ranger Lori Brosnan has said that many visitors have reported feeling a cold chill when walking through the shower room, and one visitor reported feeling fingers on the back of his neck, but turned around and nobody was there.^[23]^[27] Brosnan herself has reported unexplained sounds such as cell doors moving in the night when the vices were locked tight and only she had the keys.^[35] Other rangers have also reported doors opening on their own accord, whispering sounds in cells, and the sounds of a harmonica.^[35] Ghostly voices from the hospital wards have also been reported.^[29]^[36] George "Machine Gun" Kelly has reportedly been sighted in the prison's church and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis is said to haunt the prison bakery and kitchen.^[3] One visitor and his wife have claimed to have heard canaries singing in what was the cell of Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz", and to have seen him on the bed reading a book, yet Stroud was never permitted to keep birds in his cell as he'd done at former prisons.^[4]

Claims by investigators

Numerous investigators and psychics such as Annette Martin and Jeanne Borgen and paranormal teams have sought to "contact spirits" at Alcatraz.^[37] KGO Radio Morning News anchor Ted Wygant, a skeptic of the paranormal, visited Alcatraz in 1982 with psychic Jeanne Borgen and spent the night there.^[17] Wygant said for most of the duration of the visit they found nothing, but around 3 am in the utility corridor, the place where three of the men of the 1946 Battle of Alcatraz were shot dead, he said that although it was pitch black, he suddenly got a "tremendous feeling of anger" and felt an evil presence lying on the floor at the place where the men had died.^[35] He started cursing and said that he felt a strong compulsion to fire a gun at people.^[35] Borgen said that it left Wygant quite out of character, and said that when they turned on the light, "his face was changed, you could see the anger and hate in his eyes".^[35] Wygant has said though that it is quite difficult for him to believe there was something really there, but he is certain that he felt that something had happened.^[35] In 1984, paranormal investigator and writer Michael Kouri claimed that he visited the prison and in a trance was spoken to by the spirit of a dead prisoner who told him that he had been beaten and had his legs broken and was placed in solitary confinement.^[38] According to the Los Angeles Times, one woman, who claimed to be psychic, began speaking German in a child's voice on a tour of the prison hospital, and said that Alcatraz was frequented by spirits.^[39]

Left:Sewing in the New Industries Building. Right:Henri Young

In the early 1990s, Sightings investigated the prison and claimed that they have evidence of ghostly activity caught on film at Alcatraz.^[38] A CBS news team was also reputed to have experienced strange activity in the prison hospital and in the laundry room.^[38] Psychic Daena Smoller and psychologist Larry Montz investigated the prison and found nothing in D-Block or the cellhouse but equipped with a magnetometer, they picked up a reading in the New Industries Building in the area where inmates had been employed in sewing.^[14] Smoller says that she picked up on the intense sound of buzzing of sewing machines and energy of the workplace and suddenly felt an intense pain in her neck.^[14] Nothing happened for several minutes until the magnetometer reportedly "jumped".^[14] Montz said that unless there was an electromagnetic device in the building which would cause it to have taken place, then there was "definitely paranormal activity taking place".^[14] Apparently unknown to the investigators, the incident had occurred in the area that Henri Young had murdered Rufus McCain, stabbing him in the neck.^[14]

Rebuttal of haunted claims

Despite former guards and park rangers revealing their paranormal experiences at Alcatraz, officials for Alcatraz have publicly dismissed the reports of ghosts at Alcatraz as nonsense and deny their existence; an official for Alcatraz said in 1994, "These ridiculous ghost stories will stop tourists from visiting. And how can these people say they heard canaries? We don't have any birds in here."^[4] Mary Forgione of the Los Angeles Times also stated that "The National Park Service, which operates the island as a tourist site, pooh-poohs this, calling it Hollywood hype."^[6] Alcatraz, run by the National Park Service, therefore does not operate an "official ghost tour" for tourists, but such tours, organized by independent parties, are permitted in the prison.^[23] Former prison guard Frank Healy, who served at Alcatraz as a young man from 1948 to 1951, has said that it was easy to gain a negative feeling at the prison at a time when it was all "doom and gloom", although he said that if any place would have ghosts it would be Alcatraz.^[27] Tracy Grant of The Washington Post, in discussing the book "Ghost Hunt" which documents the alleged haunting at Alcatraz, has said "Authors Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson claim to be ghost hunters, and in this book they offer stories about the ghosts of inmates at Alcatraz prison and the idea that the ocean can be haunted. These stories are definitely scary, but don't take them too seriously. After all, ghosts aren't real. Are they?" ^[40]

Related Research Articles

Robert Stroud American inmate and ornithologist

Robert Franklin Stroud, known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a convicted murderer, American federal prisoner and author who has been cited as one of the most notorious criminals in the United States. During his time at Leavenworth Penitentiary, he reared and sold birds and became a respected ornithologist, although regulations did not allow him to keep birds at Alcatraz, where he was incarcerated from 1942 to 1959. Stroud was never released from the federal prison system; he was imprisoned from 1909 to his death in 1963.

The Eastern State Penitentiary, also known as ESP, is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located at 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of the city, and was operational from 1829 until 1971. The penitentiary refined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration first pioneered at the Walnut Street Jail which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment.

<i>Yūrei</i> supernatural creature in Japanese folklore

Yūrei (幽霊) are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western model of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 (yū), meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 (rei), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include 亡霊, meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 or お化け. Like their Chinese and Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife.

The Ohio State Reformatory (OSR), also known as the Mansfield Reformatory, is a historic prison located in Mansfield, Ohio in the United States. It was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in operation until 1990, when a United States Federal Court ruling ordered the facility to be closed. While this facility was used in a number of films, TV shows and music videos, it was made famous by the film The Shawshank Redemption (1994) when it was used for the majority of the movie.

The Penitentiary of New Mexico (PNM) is a men's maximum-security prison located in unincorporated Santa Fe County, 15 miles (24 km) south of central Santa Fe, on New Mexico State Road 14. It is operated by the New Mexico Corrections Department.

Henri Theodore Young was a convicted bank robber and murderer who, while serving one of a series of prison terms, attempted a 1939 escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary with four other inmates. During the escape attempt two inmates were shot, and one died of his wounds. All surviving were quickly recaptured. Two, Young and Rufus McCain, received sentences of solitary confinement and served them at Alcatraz for a period of three years. 11 days after re-entering the Alcatraz general prison population, Young murdered fellow escapee McCain. No apparent motive was ever disclosed. Young's defense put Alcatraz and the penal system on trial, leading to questions about how the prison was run. In 1948, Young was transferred from Alcatraz to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, Springfield, Missouri. He was later transferred to Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla upon completion of his federal sentence to begin a life sentence for the 1933 murder conviction.

The June 1962 Alcatraz escape was a prison break from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, a maximum-security facility located on an island in San Francisco Bay, undertaken by inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin. The three men were able to escape from their cells and leave the island in a makeshift raft.

The following are reportedly haunted locations in California, in the United States. This list is sorted by county.

The following are reportedly haunted locations in Pennsylvania:

Alcatraz Dining Hall, often referred to as the Mess Hall, is the dining hall of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary where the prisoners and staff ate their meals. It is a long wing on the west end of the Main Cellhouse of Alcatraz, situated in the center of the island. It is connected to the block by a corridor known as “Times Square”, as it passes beneath a large clock approaching the entrance way to the dining hall. This wing includes the dining hall and the kitchen beyond it.

The New Industries Building is a building on the western end of Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco, USA. It was constructed in 1939 for $186,000 as part of a $1.1 million modernization scheme which also included the water tower, power house, officers quarters and remodeling of the D-block.

The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary or United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States, the site of a fort since the 1850s; the main prison building was built in 1910–1912 as a United States Army military prison. The United States Department of Justice acquired the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch, on Alcatraz on 12 October 1933, and the island became a prison of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in August 1934 after the buildings were modernized and security increased. Given this high security and the island's location in the cold waters and strong currents of San Francisco Bay, prison operators believed Alcatraz to be escape-proof and America's strongest prison.

Alcatraz Hospital is a defunct hospital which was located on Alcatraz Island, California, US. It began operations in the 19th century while the United States Army operated Fort Alcatraz and continued to provide services after the transition to the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Though Alcatraz is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the hospital is not included on the general tour.

Edwin Burnham Swope, nicknamed "Cowboy", was the second warden of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, which was situated on Alcatraz Island, California, US. He was a native of New Mexico, having been born at Santa Fe in 1888. His earlier posts as warden included New Mexico State Prison, Washington State's McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary, and the Federal Penitentiary at Terre Haute, Indiana. Swope served at Alcatraz from 1948 to 1955. A member of the Democratic Party, Swope was Chairman of the City Commission of Albuquerque, New Mexico from February 1923 through February 1925. He was appointed Commissioner of Public Lands by New Mexico Governor Arthur T. Hannett.

Olin Guy Blackwell was an American lawman who was the fourth and final warden of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, which was situated on Alcatraz Island, California. Associate Warden to Paul J. Madigan from April 1959, Blackwell served as warden of Alcatraz at its most difficult time from 1961 to 1963 when it was facing closure as a decaying prison and financing problems and at the time of the June 1962 escape. At that time, he was on vacation in Lake Berryessa in Napa County, California, and he didn't believe the men could have survived the waters and make it to shore. The prison closed on March 21, 1963. Blackwell was considered to have been the least strict warden of Alcatraz, perhaps in part due to him having been a heavy drinker and smoker, nicknamed "Gypsy" and known as "Blackie" to his friends. He was said to have been an excellent marksman; who had earlier served as Associate Warden of Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. He died on March 7, 1986 in Hart County Georgia.

Rufe Persful was an American criminal, convicted for murder, kidnapping and robbery. He was considered one of the most dangerous criminals of his era by the authorities. Convicted with the murder and robbery of an elderly man at the age of 18, he was sentenced to 15 years in Arkansas State Penitentiary, but unlike a standard prison, it involved farm labour. He was given the task of shooting fellow inmates with a shotgun if they attempted to escape. He killed and disabled many prisoners during his time at the Arkansas Penitentiary, punctuated by periods of parole as a reward for his prison protection, and then re-offending and being sent back to resume his role. In December 1934, Persful was convicted for kidnapping and robbery in Paragould, Arkansas and sentenced to 20 years, after which he was transferred to United States Penitentiary, Atlanta. Two inmates recognized him from Arkansas and word spread of his killing of fellow inmates and he began being severely abused. He was transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary a year later but was recognized and continued to be tortured by his fellow inmates because of his past offenses. In 1937, it was Persful who attempted to cut off his hands in sheer desperation of his experiences at Alcatraz and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was eventually sent to McNeil Island Penitentiary where he was again recognized and suffered much abuse from his fellow inmates, despite being heavily watched over by the prison staff. He was released in April 1948 and moved in with a relative in Gary, Indiana, never to be convicted of a crime again.

There are many reportedly haunted locations in San Francisco, California. According to ghost hunters, over 100 sites in the San Francisco Bay Area are reported to be haunted.

There are a number of widely reported haunted locations in the state of Oregon in the United States. Many reported hauntings in Oregon are linked to such historic places as the Oregon Trail and early coastal communities. Portland, the state's largest city and metropolitan area, was considered one of the most dangerous port cities in the world at the turn of the 20th century. Its gritty history includes many locations alleged or reported to be haunted. In 2012, USA Today named Portland among the top ten most haunted cities in the United States.

References

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↑ "'Alcatraz' ARG: Unlocking the secrets of J.J. Abrams' show". Los Angeles Times . 17 January 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
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↑ Oliver 1998, p. 16.
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↑ Wetzel 2008, p. 38.
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↑ Person & Taylor 2010, p. 22.
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↑ "Take a tour of haunted America". Faces: People, Places, and Cultures, accessed via HighBeam Research. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
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