Today, we're going to a place that shouldn't be as quiet as it is, a place that covers

exactly 47 acres in the middle of Jefferson City, Missouri. Now, usually when you think of

47 acres, you think of a nice suburban park or maybe a sprawling campus. But for over 160 years, these 47 acres were considered the most dangerous place in the United

States.

Time magazine didn't mince words back in 1967 when they called this place the bloodiest

47 acres in America.

This is the story of the Missouri State Penitentiary, a place where the walls were built

by the very men who would eventually die inside them.

And if you believe the thousands of people have walked those halls since it's closed, those

men are still there.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Join me on a journey through history's darkest corners where folklore, hauntings, and

true crime collide.

From small town legends to stories that span the world, we uncover the tales that

refuse to stay buried.

What scares you?

Let's find out.

I'm Christopher Feinstein, and this is Haunted American History.

It's 1836, and to give you some perspective on how old this place is, the month of the Missouri State Penitentiary opened its doors was the exact same month the Alamo fell in Texas.

Missouri had only been a state for around 15 years, but the politicians in Jefferson City were having a bit of an identity crisis.

Other towns like St. Louis were trying to steal the

title of state capital. So Governor John Miller had a very pragmatic, very grim idea. He'd build a

...