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The 1859 Jackson County Jail Museum is believed to house a wide variety of paranormal
activity. The Jail itself and the Marshal's Home have seen more than their share of human tragedy and death. Apparitions
of men, women, children, and even cats have been reported by numerous individuals over the years. Phenomenon reported
also include feelings of nausea, sounds of growling, footsteps, and a man gasping for air, eerie feelings, and
extreme cold spots.
THE HAUNTED HISTORY OF THE JAIL
This old jail, built in 1859, included 12 limestone jail cells and an
adjoining Marshal’s House. The dungeon-like cells housed thousands of prisoners including Frank James and William
Clark Quantrill of Quantrill’s Raiders from the time it opened in 1859 until it closed in 1933.
In 1863, the jail housed many women and children that were accused of harboring Missouri guerilla forces during
the Civil War.
Reportedly, one of the first cells as you enter the old jail is thoroughly haunted. Staff and visitors describe
a feeling of nausea and chills, as well as hearing the sound of footsteps, growls and gasps. Others have reported
seeing a man in blue in this cell.
There are two theories as to who haunts the jail. One is of Marshall Jim Knowles, who lived in the adjoining Marshal’s
house. During the Civil War, Knowles lost his life trying to settle a fight between two prisoners with opposing
sentiments regarding the war. |
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Others say a Deputy Marshal named Henry Bugler, who was killed during a jailbreak
in June of 1866, haunts the jail.
It is also said that the building is haunted by the many women and children who
were housed there during the Civil War. Witnesses have described female and child-like apparitions and the sounds
of children. The museum staff and visitiors have also experienced an assortment of odd occurrences from radios
seemingly turning on and off by themselves, to items being mysteriously moved around.
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LINDSEY'S CONTRIBUTIONS...
Lindsey Gaston of the Jackson County Historical Society is primarily responsible for the 1859 Jackson County Jail
Museum. Lindsey's knowledge regarding the history of the building and breadth of the reported paranormal activity
at the site were invaluable to us throughout the investigation. Lindsey took the time to meet with us twice at
the museum and was present for both our pre-investigation visit and the investigation itself. We even convinced
Lindsey to sit in one of the cells with us for a vigil! |
Much of the background information provided on the rest of this page come from
our interviews with Lindsey.
OUT-OF-PLACE ODORS
Lindsey's first odd experience within the museum involved the stairs built as part of the 1903 Jail Expansion.
As he was walking up these stairs he smelled the strong and unmistakable smell of cigar smoke. He mentioned this
to other members of the museum staff, and they told him that cigar smoke was a smell often encountered in the house.
This despite the fact no one has smoked a cigar in the museum for many years. The unexplainable smell of strong
colongne will sometimes be detected as well. And in the area of the kitchen, people sometimes report the odor of
fresh baked bread.
Lindsey said that very often only one or two people of an entire group will smell these odors. When the few that
detect the odors describe them to the group, they are often surprised that no one else can smell the out-of-place
odors. Often the odors will last for a very brief amount of time. For instance, someone will ask if anyone else
smells the odor of fresh baked bread...and then they will report it is gone as quickly as it came. |
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THE FALLING PAINTING OF MRS. WALDO
At one time these two paintings, one of Mr. Waldo and one of Mrs. Waldo, were both hung in the first-floor Parlor.
But Mrs. Waldo's painting kept falling off the wall onto the floor. Every effort was made to hang Mrs. Waldo's
painting in a way that it would not fall. But in the morning when members of the museum staff would enter the Parlor,
they would find once again find Mrs. Waldo's portrait on the floor. |
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Having tried everything else, the staff moved Mr. Waldo's painting out of the
Parlor, and onto a wall in the hallway on the 2nd floor. Since that time, Mrs. Waldo has remained securely hung
on the wall in the Parlor.
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HENRY BUGLER'S PRESENCE
In 1866, there was a jail break attempt at the Jackson County Jail. The
Deputy Marshall at the time was Henry Bugler, and he was fighting off armed gunmen who were attempting to break
some prisoners out of the jail. As he fought to defend the jail, Henry Bugler was shot to death in the Master Bedroom...and
his young son was wounded. The image on the left is Henry Bugler's death photo. This photo was taken in the first-floor
Parlor after Henry Bugler's body had been dressed and prepared for burial. |
Visitors touring the museum often report feeling an uneasy feeling or an unseen presence with them in the Master
Bedroom. One female vistor came downstairs and said, "Something horrible must have happened upstairs...what
happened up there?"
A former director of the museum was at the museum alone one night, when he experienced
something he would never talk about in the Master Bedroom. From that point forward he avoided at all costs being
at the museum alone at night, and he generally avoided the 2nd Floor of the Sheriff's House altogether. He would
never talk about what he encountered and is no longer the director of the museum.
A little boy apparition has been seen in the hallways and on the 2nd floor of
the Sheriff's House. Some believe this little boy is Henry Bugler's son, returned to the place where he himself
was wounded and where he was forced to watch his father die.
THE SHEETS AND COVERS PULLED BACK
The museum staff will often find the sheets and covers on the bed in the North Bedroom pulled back and disturbed
when they open the museum in the mornings.
A WOMAN IN PERIOD DRESS
Visitors often report catching glimpses of a woman dressed in period dress on the 2nd floor of the house. |
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A CAT ON ITS 10th LIFE
Visitors to the museum frequently see a cat within the museum, often on the 2nd
floor. They will ask the museum staff why they keep a cat in a museum. The museum staff has a hard time getting
them to belive that they do not keep or allow cats in the museum!
THE HAUNTED CELL AND A SHADOWY SHAPE
Reportedly, the cell labelled Cell #1 on the map is so haunted, that "almost
anyone that examines and enters all six cells can pick out the haunted one." The cell reported makes people
feel uneasy, sometimes nauseous, and they will feel like someone unseen is right beside them. The atmosphere in
Cell #1 is reportedly so oppressive that the haunted nature of the cell can be "felt." A few sources
disagree, and actually list Cell #2 as the "haunted cell." But Lindsey Gaston and a majority of the sources
I referenced insist that Cell #1 is the "haunted cell."
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Two weeks before our investigation, another paranormal investigation group called
Miller's Paranormal investigated the museum. Lindsey Gaston was with these paranormal investigators in the Jail
Hallway on the 1st floor of the jail, when according to Lindsey, there was a moment when everyone began to notice
a "shadowy shape" growing or gathering out of Cell #1 into the Jail Hallway. The shadow appeared to be
about 6-and-a-half feet tall, and was rounded on the top as if it had "hunched shoulders." |
At some point almost everyone present was looking at the shadowy shape, and then
it moved slowly across the Hallway and appeared to enter Cell #4. The investigation team from Miller's Paranormal
took reportedly took photographs at the time of the sighting. It should be noted that we were unaware that Miller's
Paranormal was investigating the museum at the time we scheduled our investigation. We've since been in contact
with them and have really enjoyed learning about their group. They confirmed Lindsey's story about the "shadowy
shape," and I'm sure they'll eventually have a full report regarding any evidence they gathered on their website.
SOUNDS, SIGHTS, AND SIX HANGINGS
There have also been the sounds of growling heard in the Jail Hallway and Cells, an apparition seen dressed in
a blue uniform, the sounds of a man gasping for air, cold spots felt, and the sounds of the heavy iron doors moving
on their own when they are just out-of-view of the listener. Its disturbing to consider these phenomenon in conjunction
with the dark history of the jail. It has been historically documented that at least six hangings took place in
the Jail Hallway itself. |
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A rope would be tied around an inmate's neck with the other end secured to the
railing between the 1st and 2nd floors of the jail. The inmate would then be thrown over the railing to hang until
dead. While six incidents of hanging within the building have been documented, Lindsey suggested that it was likely
that more than six hangings took place within the building.
I did not tell the other Ghost Vigil Investigators which of the jail cells is
reportedly the "haunted cell," because I wanted to see if they could pick the cell out without any prior
knowledge of the legend. I also did not tell them about the 6-and-a-half foot tall "shadowy shape" that
Lindsey and the Miller's Paranormal investigators had seen in the Jail Hallway, because I did not want to pre-dispose
them to seeing a similar phenomenon. It was my belief that if they saw a similar "shadowy shape" not
knowing the story from two-weeks before, it would be much more convincing as anecdotal evidence.
-Mark Stinson
Note: Some of the written materials and images on the History and Background pages came from the following sources:
The Jackson County Historical
Society, Legends of America, The Examiner, Ghosts of the Prairie, and Missouri
Haunts...as well as interviews with Lindsey Gaston of the museum staff.
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