The HAUNTED, Old City Jail.....do not be fooled.......

The Old City Jail

 On Monday, April 3rd I visited the Charleston Old City Jail. The Old City Jail was operational from 1802 until 1939.  The jail was built four stories tall, but today we only see three stories. We only see three stories now because of the earthquake in 1899 that knocked off the top story.

  

Our class was lucky enough to get a great tour guide, named Randall Johnson, from bulldog tours to show us around! He told us many stories about the jail which kept it very entertaining! 

We started the tour outside, where Randall Johnson explained that the Old City Jail was shut down in 1939 because of the inhumane treatment. The jail was only allowed to hold around 200 people, but instead there were over a thousand prisoners at times.

Where Punishment was Held

The first room we went to was the room where the prisoners would get punished.  In this room (picture to the right) is where they would hang the prisoners by their arms and would whip them. According to Randall Johnson, on average, a punishment was 75 lashes, but these would have to be broken up because if the prisoner took all 75 lashes at once they would die. 

     

The prisoners hoped to receive their punished as soon as they got to the jail because many people actually died from diseases before receiving their punishment. The most common reason for death in the jail was actually yellow fever. 

Jail Markings

Next, we went to the second floor of the jail and saw many engravings from prisoners. The engraving on the left was from a prisoner that must have been in the jail for 55 days. Woah!!! This further explains Johnson's point about how many prisoners were in the jail for a short period of time.

Johnson also told the class about many of the famous prisoners.  One prisoner he spoke of the most was Lavinia Fisher. Lavinia Fisher was the first female serial killer in the United States.  First, Lavinia would invite lone travelers into their house for dinner, then she would send them to their rooms to sleep and give them a cup of tea.  The cup of tea would be poisoned, and if the tea did not kill them, then Lavinia and her husband would stab the traveler to death.

    

Overall, I had a great time at the jail! Although, I am not sure if I would go back because it was spooky.....but if one is into ghost tours and history, then this is the place to go! Not only is it scary, but one will learn a little bit about Charleston and their role in the Civil War! Check it out!!