The Black Jail - 1st Territorial Prison

Guthrie, Oklahoma

                                                               Written by: Tonya Hacker

I was invited to research a Historical location for a publication that is to release early 2006. I was happy that I was finally going to be "published" and be able work within my passion, which is "ghosts" and overall spooky things! Working with the Guthrie Historical Museum/Library, I uncovered a few things they were not even aware of. Two EVP's were collected during our short visit. Team members present were Todd, Tricia and of course, myself. EVP are at the bottom of the page. The name of the book that will be featuring this story is called "Ghostly Tales of America's Jails"... keep in mind, this is a generic outline of our findings, so please check out the book when it comes out! 

NOTICE: NO TRESPASSING! THE COPS ARE WATCHING AND IT IS VERY DANGEROUS IN THIS BUILDING! SHOW SOME RESPECT AND STAY AWAY! 

Fifteen years before statehood, the unassigned lands of Oklahoma were abundant with gunslingers, robbers and notorious western symbols.  In 1892 Guthrie, Oklahoma was home to one of the very first Federal Prisons in the Midwest.

Labeled the “Black Jail” by inmates, the eighteen inch thick walls of dark limestone and brick was a penitentiary that was rumored to be non-escapable back in the days of the Wild West.  Intimidating to the locals the shadowy halls of this prison detained some of America’s most notorious criminals of the day.  Scandalous outlaws such as the well-known Bill Doolin and his gang of murderous thieves passed through the dank cells frequently.  The legendary Dalton Gang also had its last go around during the first years of the prison.

The two-story structure housed no more than ninety prisoners at a time, two levels assembled including the complete basement where the unruly convicts were held in solitary confinement.  Solitary confinement was becoming a popular way to offer treatment to hardened criminals in hopes to cure them of their wrongful ways, in the long run offer the community a sense of safety from the convicted felons being held within the township.  Living conditions at the prison are varied, while the local newspaper reports that harsh living conditions were not the norm, other reports share a different view.  Lack of ventilation to the prisoners was the main concern to many within the community. Among the terrible Oklahoma heat and harsh cold winters living conditions would not have played a positive role with the confined men and their well being during their incarceration time.

 Walking throughout the halls today, the prison is undergoing restoration efforts and has been selected for many preservation grants and federal money.  Workers and supporters of the prison today have had many reports of the supernatural and paranormal activity that plagues the walls of the prison. The sense being followed and being watched is the most common and certain feeling that is present among guests.  The occasional haunting murmurs descending down the cell halls are a quick reminder of the prison and those who resided within many years ago.  Subsequent to the prison closing in the early 1900’s a local chapter of the Nazarene Church opened its doors to the neighborhood. Adopting the prison as their new home for worship, the church occupied the building for many years. After the closing of the Nazarene church in the late 1970’s the building sat unoccupied for many more years, until the well-known Samaritan Foundation opened its doors to cult members who chose Guthrie, Oklahoma as their new home. Locals were always unsure about the rituals being preformed in the church; it quickly became one of the things the town shamed. Murder, scandal, and conspiracy were hastily associated to the Samaritan Foundation all the way up until 1995. The small town of Guthrie realized that the foundation was not what they had thought it to be. The organizations headquarters were known to house and harbor government activists, American radicals, children and runaways. The doors were officially closed in the late 1990’s after the Department of Human Services declared the structure to be unfit for the children that lived in the compound. The strange and unusual combination of history at this building leaves no doubts that it may be inhabited by ghostly energy and strange occurrences that people are witnessing today.

One of the most familiar spirits at the prison has been assumed to be the ghost of James Phillips. June 1907, Phillips was the first white man sentenced to be hanged at the prison for the murder of a local man. According to the State Capital News Paper and prison records, Phillips was to die on a mid-June morning across the street of Noble Avenue. Observing diligently out his cell block window he watched the local carpenters hurriedly build his personal hanging gallows. Reported by guards, Phillips was observing the construction with a deal of great dread and angst, and then all of a sudden he abruptly fell backwards onto his bunk, dying instantly without a sound or even a word of warning. The coroners report was printed in the local newspapers and stated nothing but “He simply died of fright”. The ghost of James Phillips has been reported to be walking the corridors of the basement awaiting his demise that was to transpire the very next morning. Witnesses who pass by have reported a man peering out the lower level window. Workers and preservation volunteers have seen dark shadows on occasion. This shadow seems to seek refuge in the cell where Phillips was rumored to have died that summer day. Sentenced to die almost 100 years ago, is James Phillips still awaiting his death in the historical Black Jail? Is Phillips unable to realize, that he in the end avoided the gallows of his own execution that he feared so greatly? Rumor and witness testimony holds this to be the certainty in the basement chambers of the prison.

A different ghostly tale would be one of a younger woman, which no one is actually certain of who she is, why she is present and what time frame she fits in to. But a witness accounts of a young woman’s voice can be heard singing throughout the main level of the building. She has been reported to wear a long printed dress and sports a large brimmed hat with gloves. The woman has only been seen by a select few in the town. The woman has been noticed outside of the prison walking the grounds and on occasion attempting to cross the street of Noble Avenue. Drivers have been known to slow down or even stop in the middle of road as a woman makes her way across and swiftly vanishes before stepping up to the curb. Some locals believe the woman was nothing but a common prostitute that would visit the prisoners to offer her services and provide leisure activity for those who displayed good behavior during their confinement. While others believe that she was a prominent member of the Nazarene Church. Without a name, the woman appears on occasion, usually at dusk, and alone. One witness states “she looked like a civilized woman, walking with her head high into the church doors”.  Examining the main floor of the building, remnants of the old church still hang suspended from the ceiling; rusted tin-patterned tiles are tattered and bent lying dormant on the floor of what used to be a sanctuary and worship hall. Whoever this woman is, it will remain a mystery. Why she continues to roam the grounds, the halls and the residually haunting path of Noble Avenue is a familiarity that the locals have just accepted as part of the buildings history, present and future.

While being able to research the location, visit and spend some time inside the walls of the prison, I personally witnessed a few unexplainable moments. Walking the main floor of the prison, I noticed a large hole in the floor peering into the basement, I stopped walking to observe and take some photos. Lightly behind me, I hear a few dragging footsteps lingering. I was truly startled, because I was wearing soft sole shoes!  Another experience that caught my attention was while I was in the basement photographing James Phillips’ cell, I noticed what appeared to be a man walking across the window. In hopes that it was one of the volunteer workers, I rushed up the frayed stairs to speak interview him. Running to the front door, I stepped outside looked up the street and around and there was no one in sight While standing in the cellblock hallway of the basement , my associates and I were startled of the sound of metal hitting metal, similar to the closing of a cellblock door. There is only one metal door left in the prison, and that door was about three feet in front of us, within our view. We searched for another door and with no luck at all, we were not able to locate the origin of the noise, or recreate the noise with any debris in the area. The sense of being followed, and the strong sense of being watched was the most uncomfortable event we witnessed that day. There is no doubt in my mind that the Black Jail of Guthrie Oklahoma could be one of the more haunted locations in this glorious historical town.

***As the town continues to restore historical buildings to their original splendor, the prison unfortunately is one of the last to be restored. A new roof was recently added to the structure to help eliminate any more damage from the elements. The town of Guthrie, Oklahoma welcomes visitors and are in hopes to get the Federal Prison restored to its natural state in the near future. Historical researchers, history buffs and the town of Guthrie is anxiously awaiting the past due renovation of the prison, being so full of western heritage one can only hope that historical foundations and independent contributions continue to pour in to the community. If you would like to contribute to the Federal Prisons Restoration efforts, please contact the Guthrie Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce. -Tonya Hacker 5-2005

EVP's Collected

This particular EVP was collected on the staircase. As Tricia and I were attempting to locate a rumored escape window, you can hear a male voice interrupt our conversation with the word "Rrrright". Todd did very little speaking at this location. Due to the rumors of male voices, Tricia and I decided to do all the speaking at this location.

Click here for EVP #1

This is another male voice captured at the Prison. It is unknown to what he's saying, please offer your interpretation and email us here!

Click here for EVP #2