Team members traveled from 2 other states to check out what would turn out to be one of the most haunted prisons in the country!!!.  Eastern State Penn. might be more well known, but this is the paranormal gem of the east!  We would like to thank Ron and Marisa for letting us come investigate such a historic landmark and one of the most haunted places we have been to! The prison was a huge success and we gathered alot of evidence, including what appears to be blood on the floor that traces back to a murder that took place in the prison basement.  Our entire team enjoyed our night in the prison, we are still shaking our heads!

Burlington County Prison Museum is a national historic landmark located in the heart of historic Mount Holly , New Jersey . Designed by Robert Mills, one of America 's first native-born and trained architects, the Burlington County Prison was completed in 1811. As one of Mills' first independent architectural designs, the interior vaulted ceilings of poured concrete and brick and stone construction made the building virtually fireproof. Not only is the structure well suited to its purpose and virtually maintenance free, it also incorporates the philosophies of penal reform that were advocated during the period. In short, this structure was a fine example of innovative interior planning, fireproofing, heating and ventilation systems and the growing notion of social responsibility to rehabilitate criminals. In fact, it was so well constructed that it remained in constant use until 1965.

 

As you tour this museum we remind you that this building was a prison for 154 years…at the time of its closing it was the oldest continually used prison in the United States . No mean feat for any building! 

BURLINGTON COUNTY PRISON 

CLICK ON FRONT DOOR FOR SITE INFO!!!
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CHECK THE WINDOW TO THE RIGHT

BURLINGTON PRISON SITE HISTORY

 

Burlington City , founded in 1677, was the first settlement in Burlington County , the capital of the Province of West Jersey and the county seat until 1796. The first jail was located in the basement of the courthouse. This was replaced in 1767 by a separate stone structure that was used until 1811 when the Burlington County Prison in Mount Holly was completed and ready for use. When the county seat was moved to Mount Holly in 1796, the federal-style courthouse was built in the same year. It took another fifteen years, however, to purchase land for the prison site and have plans drawn up and approved by the freeholders. The purchase price of the land was $2,000 in 1807 and, when finally completed, the new prison's construction cost a grand total of $24,201.13.

 

The outside of the building has changed very little. The massive front door, the large hinges and the lock are original. The interior vaulted ceilings of poured concrete, and brick and stone construction is also much as it was when the facility first opened. The interior is whitewashed, as it would have been when first occupied. The cell doors are also original and many were fabricated in place.

 

As formidable as the prison seems, it was not escape-proof. The walls were scaled and the roof penetrated numerous times in its history. The preferred routes to freedom seem to have been through the roof of the jail and the passageway to the warden's house next door. One notable escape occurred in 1875. A hole was punched through the ceiling of an upper corridor cell to gain access to the roof and the escape of four men was made good by climbing down a woodpile next to the prison yard wall. A fifth accomplice, too large to fit through the hole and incensed at being left behind, reportedly sounded the alarm. Despite a quick response by the warden, it seems that at least some of these escapees were never caught.

 

Many criminals were destined to spend their last days on earth in the Burlington County Jail. State law mandated that criminals convicted of a capital crime were to be executed in the County in which they were found guilty and Burlington County was no exception. Numerous public hangings were conducted in the prison yard on a gallows erected for each occasion. The last such execution was the double hanging of Rufus Johnson and George Small. The two men were convicted of murdering Florence Allinson of Moorestown, an English-born governess at a refuge for homeless children. Solved within days by the celebrated Burlington County detective Ellis H. Parker, the men were hanged on March 24, 1906, two months after the crime.

The sound you hear was recorded in March of 2009 an is an actual EVP from the prison.  It is the sound of someone "chopping vegetables" and if you have ever done this yourself, you will instantly recognize this sound.  It was recorded in the baseent of the prison, in the kitchen area when no one was around.

 

click here to play BURLINGTON PRISON

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WE would like to thank Marisa and Ron for kindly allowing us to share in the history of the prison and Mount Holly.  Burlington county was founded in 1677.  So the land has witnessed many struggles down through time and has accumualted many souls.  We are here to help bring Burlington Prison and Burlington County the recognition it so deserves.  We are honored to be a part of the ongoing history to preserve it for future generations.

Remember, ghosts were people too!

THE ARCHITECT

 

Robert Mills (1781-1855) was born in Charleston , South Carolina to a well-established Scottish family that settled there in 1770. One of six children, Mills was singled out early to follow a professional career and completed his classical course of study at Charleston College in 1800. His interest in architecture was probably developed and influenced by his architect uncle, Thomas Mills of Dundee , Scotland and his contact with the noted English architect James Hoban, who lived in Charleston during Mills' college years. In fact, Mills began his formal training as a draftsman under Hoban who was then working on the Capitol building in Washington , D.C.

 

In 1803 Mills drew the attention of President Thomas Jefferson who asked him to assist in the design of Monticello , Jefferson's plantation home in the foothills of Virginia 's Blue Ridge Mountains . He resided there for two years during which he developed a very deep friendship with Jefferson . With letters of introduction from Hoban and Jefferson, Robert Mills began practice in 1805 under Benjamin Latrobe, the celebrated English-born architect responsible for, among other projects, the interiors of the U. S. Capitol. Mills continued under Latrobe until 1808 when he struck out on his own in private practice.

 

During this period (1808-1830) Robert Mills married and moved to Philadelphia , Baltimore , Charleston and finally settled in Washington , D.C. It was during his tenure in Philadelphia that Mills was awarded the commission to design the Burlington County Prison that was constructed in 1810-11. The building was one of Robert Mills' first designs as an independent architect and is a fine example of his ability to identify and solve some of the most difficult structural, safety, and utilization issues of the day.

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In 1836 President Andrew Jackson appointed Mills to the position of Federal Architect and Engineer. During his 16-year tenure he played an essential role in this country's early development including directing the design and construction of the U.S. Treasury Building, U.S. Patent Office, and the U.S. Post Office. He also designed numerous churches, houses, and monuments along the eastern seaboard. Two of the most renowned are the Washington Monument in Baltimore and the National Monument in Washington , D.C. The latter was an engineering accomplishment of international acclaim and the tallest single edifice in the world at the time.

The original "GALLOWS where men were hung up until the 1960's!!!!

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Joel Clough brutally stabbed his girlfriend to death with a knife. Sentenced to death, he escaped from the prison but was quickly recaptured. He spent his final days  in the death row cell known as "the dungeon".   Clough was hanged in 1833. Shortly after his death, guards and inmates heard moaning and the sounds of rattling chains from the empty  cell.  They also claimed to see apparitions and items levitating in the cell.   During the restoration of the building in 1999, workers reported strange events such as loud noises, voices, and quick temperature changes. Missing items turned up in rooms the workers had not even entered.  These and many other inexplicable events have drawn dozens of paranormal and ghost research teams from across the county to the museum to investigate. 

GO TO PRISON WEB SITE, Click HERE

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