Alcatraz History Hauntings

Alcatraz History Hauntings

Other than Casper, ghosts do not have a history of being friendly or happy. Ghosts haunt those places associated with pain and misery. Alcatraz fits that bill admirably. From the 1850's up to 1933, Alcatraz served as a military prison for deserters and other miscreant soldiers. From 1934 to 1963, the prison served as a Federal Penitentiary for the meanest hard timers in the U.S. prison system. The prison long held a reputation as a tough sentence with its cramped cells, lack of privileges, torture, deprivation, violent inmates, and physical discomfort. As you can imagine, some of these prisoners died on the Rock, some violently, others by natural causes. No doubt all died bitterly. In addition, let's not neglect the region's indigenous people prior to the Spanish and later Americans claiming their land. Native Americans who ran afoul of their tribes were also banished to the island as punishment. No doubt the unearthly howls, screams, cries, and abrupt clanging noises at Alcatraz emanate from these residual spirits in this rocky portal to the paranormal world.

Haunting Reports

There are many odd haunting reports witnessed by prisoner's, prison guards, and from the prison staff's families who dwelled on the island as well. There were reports of various sorts of eerie experiences—noises, closing doors, foul smells, and general strangeness. Occasionally, there will be physical sightings of these surreal apparitions. The following are some examples of these hauntings:

• Warden Johnston

One story has the first warden, James A. Johnston hearing a woman crying and sobbing, while showing the prison to visitors. This otherworldly sobbing came from within the prison walls. And when the crying ceased, a cold wind blew past the unnerved group. The straight-laced no-nonsense Warden Johnston never offered an explanation about this creepiness.

• Warden's House

The warden's house on Alcatraz has long since been burned down, but it was also a common sight for ghostly visitations. One such visit occurred during a Christmas party. Several guards saw a mutton-chopped man wearing a gray suit and brimmed hat, a fashion style outdated since the previous century. With the guards looking on the room turned icy cold and as the fire in the old Ben Franklin stove inexplicably went out, the ghost vanished as stunningly as it had appeared.

• Lighthouse

Another commonly reported phenomenon is the appearance of a lighthouse. The first lighthouse on the Pacific coast was built on Alcatraz in 1853. It was later torn down in 1909. But now, sometimes on foggy nights it will appear with a green light and strange whistle. Just as suddenly, it will disappear.

• Utility Corridor

This is place where three inmates were killed by guards in a hale of bullets, in a failed attempt to escape. Bernard Coy, Joe Cretzer, and Marvin Hubbard were killed in the utility corridor after a staging a two-day struggle to escape in 1946. In 1976, a night security guard reported strange and unearthly clanging sounds coming from that corridor.

• Laundry Room

Guards have reported smelling smoke coming from the abandoned laundry room. Upon investigation, there is no sign of any fire and the smell is gone.

• D-Block

D-Block was the most secure and it is where the most troublesome prisoners were held. It had forty-two cells and D-Block clamped down with the most restrictions for its inmates. It is also the most active for Alcatraz history hauntings. Six of these cells were referred to as "the Hole," and prisoners were stripped and isolated here. One of these was called "the Oriental" and it was reserved for the most sever punishment. A story is told of a prisoner in the 1940's who was locked up in the Oriental. One night he constantly screamed to the guards that a creature with glowing eyes was trying to kill him. Guards thinking it was a practical joke left him there. Sometime during the night the prisoner's screams ended. In the morning when they checked his cell, the prisoner was dead with odd markings on his neck as if he'd been strangled. No guard was ever charged for the death, but nobody else could have entered the cell -- at least no one from this world. Later, guards would report that there would be an extra body during their head counts. And like any good ghostly report, the body would simply vanish without a trace when they tried to verify.

Visit Alcatraz Ghosts and say, "Hi!"

There are innumerable ghost stories from Alcatraz. Many psychics and ghost hunters have visited the prison island and have left with either vivid stories of contact with the spirits on the island or at a minimum, left with an unexplained creepiness that lingered. The majority of people are inclined towards skepticism about paranormal experiences and entities. But to clear your mind, one way to satisfy your curiosity or doubt is to visit the island, take a tour, and talk with some of the Park Rangers who work on Alcatraz. Ask them if they know any good ghost stories. They won't answer lightly or flippantly. And if you have the fortitude take the prison park's Night Tour and experience the island as the sun goes down and ghouls come out. Go to the Park Service's authorized source for tickets and tours, Alcatraz Cruises. And if you happen to have a Proton Pack and a Parapsychologist buddy, you might want to bring them along for protection. And please, try not to step in the ectoplasm.

Related Links

• Alcatraz Tour
• Escapes from Alcatraz
• History of Alcatraz Prison
• National Park Service—Alcatraz
• Alcatraz Island