Alcatraz is well known island that sits in the San Francisco Bay. The United States Army had used the island as a military prison until around 1933. It was then that the government converted the island into a maximum security prison, designed to hold the most vile and dangerous criminals of it’s time.
Prisoners were given very little freedom and were forced to live out their days in a very ordered and controlled atmosphere. Only the basics were given to the inmates, while anything extra had to earned through good behavior. This structured routine was created in an effort to break what would be otherwise unruly prisoners. Al capone himself was housed at “The Rock” and was reportedly treated no differently than other prisoners at the time. Alcatraz was a tough, strict and regimented prison that showed no favoritism. Any violation of the rules could result in a number of punishments. One of which being the “Strip Cell”. This was a
small, dark cell located on D block in which prisoners would be stripped completely naked and given only bread and water while being forced to spend their time in total darkness and solitude. A hole in the cell floor was used as a toilet. The Strip cell was said to have driven many men into madness. Prisoners were kept in The Strip cell or other similar holding cells for long periods of time when rules would be violated.
The total isolation of Alcatraz being built on an island helped to spark many tales of torture of the inmates. It is believed by many that the deep history associated with Alcatraz has provided a hot spot for paranormal activity. Although the prison was closed in 1963, it is said that some of it’s prisoners are still confined within it’s walls.
One of the more famous ghost spots on Alcatraz is cell 14D. This cell was used as one of the holding cells and many people have reported strange feelings of heaviness or cold while in it’s vicinity. There is an old tale of a prisoner who was locked inside 14D. It is said that he spent the entire night screaming for help. He screamed that there was a creature inside the cell with him. The next morning he was found strangled to death. There was never much explanation for his death, but upon doing head count the next morning, guards claimed seeing him in line with other prisoners.
Another spooky place on Alcatraz is the corridor in which three inmates were riddled with bullets as they tried to escape. Eerie sounds and other strange experiences have been reported in the corridor. There have been many reports of moans, sobbing and screams coming from inside the walls of Alcatraz. A warden of Alcatraz was said to have experienced this strange phenomena as well has many other people. Cell blocks A, B, and C are also said to be haunted.
Some also claim that Al Capone himself haunts Alcatraz. Capone had spent some of his final years on “The Rock” and was reported to have spent a majority of his time practicing his new found hobby, banjo playing. Capone was fearful of spending his recreational time in the yard, for obvious reasons. Instead, he spent it practicing his banjo skills in the shower room. Many people have reported hearing the sounds of a banjo coming from the shower room area. It was even documented by an employee who had no idea about the history of such sounds.
Alcatraz is definitely rich with it’s own history and fame. It has been a place of interest for some and horror for others. No matter what, Alcatraz will forever remain one of the most famous prisons in the world and possibly one of the most haunted.
