- Michigan's first state prison was built nearly 200 years ago and was once the largest prison in the world.
- Now re-purposed for apartments and art studios, some say the spirits of former prisoners may never have left.
- Video shows a haunted tour of the remains of the old prison, including the old solitary confinement cells.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
At one time the largest prison in the world, the building that housed Michigan's first state prison has opened the door for the paranormal in it's new life.
"It was really hot with paranormal activity," Steve Rudolph, a tour guide with Jackson Historic Prison Tours, said.
Rudolph showed us around the prison. We started with a look at the outer walls. They've been standing for almost 200 years.
"The one down there was the original wall," Rudolph said. "It was built early on. 1839, 1838."
But, we're here for the spooky side of the prison. So after that, we headed down into the old solitary confinement area.
"This...this is solitary...the beginning of solitary confinement," Rudolph said. "There were actually three cells in here. One started here."
If the darkness wasn't already enought to creep you out, the kinds of people who were sentenced to stay here will.
"We outlawed capital punishment in 1846, but they said that you will live in solitary confinement for the rest of your life, which in all reality took people from having a three-second hanging and turned it into a six or seven or eight-month death sentence."
"You'd go crazy. You're basically subhuman, and then you'd die."
While Steve says he hasn't had any encounters himself, he has had some strange experiences while giving tours.
"We were down here, and I had about 14, 15 people. One of them had a service dog, and this dog you hadn't heard a peep out of. I'm down here telling them about the history of this place, and I hear this dog...the dog is right there...and he's looking over there and there's nobody over there. But I hear this (growls)."
"Everybody backed away from him, and next thing you know he was back to normal."
Just one story in one of Jackson's most haunted spots.
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