Tag Archives: Execution

West Virginia Penitentiary

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West Virginia Penitentiary (Moundsville, West Virginia)

PoetStar1979 recommends this site: “You really ought to visit the old West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, WV. I went there a few times and it’s fantastic! If you liked Eastern State in PA, you’d LOVE Moundsville! 🙂 MTV did an episode of ‘Fear’ there, as well, but it was sorta fake… like the part where they make the person go into the room with the electric chair and take the sheet off of it… that was totally set up. The Chair is actually on display in the main entrance! But, you have to see this beautiful building.”

Wood County Historical Museum

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Wood County Historical Museum (Bowling Green, Ohio)

Why stop in Bowling Green? Why, to see the fingers of Mary Bach, of course! Roadside America explains what it’s all about: “… their prized display — three human fingers in a jar. The fingers belonged to Mary Bach, who was murdered. The knife used to sever the fingers, and the noose used to hang the man who severed them, are proudly presented alongside the popular Tater Tot-like appendages. ‘Those fingers built this museum,’ the curator boasts.” (Special thanks to Kathy Harrington for sending me the Roadside America link.)

 

Amelia Island Museum of History

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Amelia Island Museum of History (Amelia Island, Florida)
Nigel Tufnel (yes, I assume it’s THE Nigel Tufnel!) recommends a visit to the allegedly haunted Old Jail on Amelia Island, Florida. The Old Jail now houses the Amelia Island Museum of History, but it’s the Legend that is of interest to us fans of morbidity:
“Luc Simone Aury was the bastard son of a pirate named Luis Aury. He was a renowned scoundrel and wanted for many crimes such as murder, rape, and robbery to name a few. Upon his capture, Aury was sentenced to hang in the gallows behind the jail. As word spread, a huge crowd gathered to witness the execution of this famous criminal. The night before the hanging however, Aury managed to slit his own throat in effort to deprive the city of his humiliating spectacle. A surgeon was summoned to crudely stitch him up just enough to keep him alive until the execution. With his collar buttoned to hide the wound, he was drug up the steps on his appointed day. When the trap was sprung, the stitches ripped open, nearly decapitating him. Blood spewed into and all over the crowd. Women fainted, men screamed, and children were trampled as the crowd fled in terror. Aury can be heard moaning where the old gallows used to be. On rare occasions, his ghost will appear with a gaping slash across his neck covered in blood.”

 

Museum of Colorado Prisons

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Museum of Colorado Prisons (Canon City, Colorado)
This museum is housed in the old Women’s Correctional Facility that was constructed in 1935. The museum contains quite a few goodies including the hangman’s noose used for the last execution by hanging in Colorado, the gas chamber, and some items related to cannibal Alferd Packer. Fun, fun, fun! (Thanks to The Quiet One for the suggestion.)

 

Pinal County Historical Society Museum

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Pinal County Historical Society Museum (Florence, Arizona)
Although I’ve never been to Arizona myself, Maggie S. makes this sound like a most interesting place to visit: “The Historical Society Museum has the actual nooses used to execute inmates, including the only female, who was decapitated when she was hung. They also have the door of the gas chamber that was once used.” If anyone’s been there and can provide more information, please add a comment.

Chris Reid sent the following information:

This is a great museum in  a very historic town founded in 1866. Florence was a silver mining boom town in the 1870’s and the county seat since 1875. It was a wild and woolly place with a shoot out between the sheriff and the deputy in 1888. The museum has the window with the bullet holes from the Tunnel Saloon where the fight started. Other things you might be interested in is the famous trunk murderess’s doll she made while in the prison in Florence. Winnie Ruth Judd-the one who shot her Phoenix roommates and put them in trunks. One fit. One didn’t, so she cut the corpse into pieces to make it fit. Go to the museum to get the full story. Yes, there is also the noose display as well which includes the one of the lady who lost her head and the double execution chair from the first gas execution in Arizona.

Although the prison displays are the most unique, there are other items of interest like the furniture made out of saguaro cactus, the wooden bullets, the Apache playing cards made out of deerskin, info on Camp Florence, the WWII prisoner of war camp, info on Tom Mix, the movie star killed south of Florence in  a freak accident. His suitcases killed him. Amongst the stories of some of the people who lived in Florence is the tale of a young Florence sailor who was on the USS Indianapolis and was one of the few who survived the sinking and the sharks during WWII. There are also Hohokam exhibits, info on movies filmed in Florence (Murphy’s Romans, Stir Crazy to name two) and lots of rodeo info relating to Gene Autry who visited Florence often.

If you haven’t been to this museum, it deserves a trip. While in town check out the over 100 buildings on the National Register and the prison outlet store with prisoner made goods. It’s a great Arizona destination if you like Arizona history and getting off the beaten path

Thank you for the information, Chris!  Sounds like a great place!