The Haunted Alcatraz Prison of California - 3rd Palm Paranormal Places
- NICHOLAS DODGE
- Jul 17
- 5 min read
Most people are aware of Alcatraz. It's a maximum-security prison off the coast of California that holds only the worst types of criminals from around the country. Mobsters and the like, such as Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, and "Birdman" Robert Stroud have previously spent their time locked up in Alcatraz and, as an official statement, there have been no successful escapes from the compound. However, one break-out in particular has gone down in history, as the individuals/bodies of the escapees have never officially been discovered.
A group of Native Americans under the guise of "Red-Power" also had ownership of the facility for a number of years, films such as "Escape from Alcatraz" featuring Clint Eastwood were released back in the day, and notable paranormal investigators such as Ghost Hunters have investigated the grounds in prior years. It's a highly active facility, with a great number of cells and other hot spots constantly experiencing supernatural activity.
From murdered inmates, specters wandering the halls, an uneasy hospital ward, and more, there's a whole lot to cover in this week's 3rd Palm Haunted Places article...
Presently:
Island tours of Alcatraz have become a paranormal must-have destination for both tourists and investigators alike. A boat will run you out across the bay to the island, and tours occur both day and night (with most nighttime tours costing slightly more). Many of these outings are more than just ghosts and ghouls, they're historic, as Alcatraz Prison is probably one of the most notable (if not the most infamous) prison within the United States. It's a haunted location that is one of a few that's been able to be both a historic landmark, as well as an eerie, isolated plain of supernatural existence.
Aside from its film adaptation, numerous paranormal investigators and the like have travelled to the island in search of the infamous criminals that have either stayed or perished in their cells. In fact, entire cell blocks of the prison are considered to be haunted. As the old saying goes at Alcatraz:
Break the rules and you go to prison;break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz. -Anonymous Inmate, Alcatraz Island
The site is as active as any haunted hotel around the country. And with all of the lively energy crossing threads with the supernatural, it's no wonder that the prison has earned a top-spot as one of America's most haunted locations. However, its haunting reach deep and go far back before any notable gangsters or deaths had occurred within its walls. In fact, like the people that sail to the island, it is its history that defines its paranormal existence.
The Violent History of Alcatraz Prison:
By design, Alcatraz was built to incarcerate only the most despised and dangerous types of criminals, having been opened in 1933 as a designated maximum prison facility with minimal privileges and harsh rules. Prior to it becoming a prison, it stood as a Civil War fortress amongst the oncoming tides, while also erecting the first lighthouse along the western coast.
However, during its time as a prison numerous inmates would be put through some of the harshest punishments. Some of these punishments border the lines between torture and outright inhumanity. If you acted out of line, you would be forcefully stripped of your attire and placed inside a dark room. There was no mattress or bed, no sink, no windows or any sources of light. Just one simple hole in the ground to use as a toilet.
The pain and suffering of those inmates still resonate within various prison cells and entire prison blocks and corridors within the facility. Even the inmates' regular rooms were far from comfortable, with small worn mattresses, cheap and gaudy sinks and toilets, minimal lighting, and a cold concrete floor.
Though even prior to Alcatraz becoming a federal prison, it housed confederates, rebelling Native Americans, and other objectors were locked away, between 1861 - 1933. Criminals such as Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and the like came much later in the 1930's, but they were hardly the worst of what was to follow at this prison.
In May of 1946 a group of inmates were attempting an escape, causing what's known as the "Battle of Alcatraz". This insurgence lasted an entire 48-hours, resulting in many guards being overrun by the sheer number of inmates who became involved, leading to a shootout that required the U.S. Marines to intervene. Two guards were killed during this standoff, as well as three inmates.
Then by June of 1962, the legendary escape attempt made by Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin occurred. The three men had managed to chip through their cell walls, leading them outside and at odds with the freezing waters of the San Francisco Bay below. In their cots they had planted fake papier-mâché heads within their beds to fool the nightshift guards into thinking they were fast asleep. However, their ultimate fates are still unknown to this day...
The Vicious and Misunderstood Hauntings:
It's no surprise of any kind that hundreds of lives were taken on this island, usually by extremely violent means. Between the abusive, power-hungry guards, to the malicious prisoners themselves, these horrendously cruel deaths lead to some pretty strange paranormal energy on Alcatraz. Spirits and negative entities whose final moments were of bloodshed, strangulation, and the like, leave a powerful mark on the lands and buildings that surround this island.
Reports of strange, "evil" entities have been sighted in Cell Block D since it was still operating as a prison. Numerous reports of shadow figures moving throughout the hallways and within the cells are now a common occurrence at Alcatraz. Cell 14D also has a particular haunted presence to it, as this was one of the various cells where prisoners were stripped naked and left with just a hole in the ground in pitch black, cold darkness.
Distant screams can sometimes be heard perpetrating the place, assumedly by the spirits of murdered inmates. A few guards have even heard a banjo playing from the prison's showers from time to time, just to find them empty. Slamming steel doors echo throughout its cambers, and the clicks and clinging from tin cups against jail bars also has been known to cause a disturbance within the silence.
Guards over the decades have also reported hearing the muffled, crying voices of past inmates, as well as the guards collectively referring to an entity known as "The Thing". Not to be confused with the 1982 film by John Carpenter, "The Thing" has been detailed as a dark, shadowy mass with glowing eyes that can be seen watching one through the dark cells or wandering the grounds at night.
With so many deaths and cruel punishments undertaken at Alcatraz, it's no wonder that it's one of the most haunted places in the United States, let alone the world. With decades of pain and negative energy flowing throughout every cell block and out from every room, we at 3rd Palm Paranormal have no doubts that Alcatraz (although a safer place today) is infected by the grisly actions of the deceased.
The Haunted Alcatraz Prison of California - by 3rd Palm Paranormal
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