Alcatraz Island, or The Rock, was home to a federal maximum security prison known as Alcatraz Federal Prison. Located in San Francisco Bay, the prison operated from 1934 to 1963 and was considered the most serious prison in America. Alcatraz is also considered one of the most visited sites in the United States.
In the 1850s, the military built a fortress on a cliff, and it was the workplace for workers who did not end up in the gold mines. Many workers died during the construction. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Alcatraz Island was used to house the tribal leaders of Arizona and Alaska. Ultimately, Alcatraz Island became a prison. At first it was a military prison, but in 1934 it became a federal prison - Alcatraz. It was said that it was impossible to escape from Alcatraz. Those who tried to escape were either shot or killed in the cold and strong current, or were forced to surrender. Over the years, a total of 36 prisoners have made 14 escape attempts:
- 23 were returned;
- 6 were shot;
- 2 drowned;
- 5 are reported as missing and presumably drowned.
The most notable escape attempts were the May 1946 attempt that became known as the Battle of Alcatraz, and the June 1962 attempt.
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During the Battle of Alcatraz, 2 correctional officers and 3 prisoners were killed. Two of the surviving prisoners involved in the escape attempt were later executed for their involvement.
Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, Frank Morris - those who managed to escape from their cells.
In June 1962, three prisoners escaped from their cells. Neither the escaped nor their bodies were ever found, and the FBI determined that they had drowned in the icy waters of the San Francisco Bay while attempting to leave the island.
Alcatraz was designed to contain inmates who caused problems in other prisons, including some of America's worst and most ruthless criminals. It was the "prison of last resort" for those who had no chance of rehabilitation. It was home to 1,576 of the worst of the worst.
A newspaper with notes about the prisoners of Alcatraz.
Perhaps the most notorious prisoner was Al Capone, who spent 4 years there. Other notable prisoners included Doc Barker, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert "Birdman of Alcatraz" Stroud, and Floyd Hamilton.
The famous gangster George "Machine Gun" Kelly. He stayed in Alcatraz for 17 years.
Their time was especially difficult because the cityscape of San Francisco reminded them of the freedom they had lost. George Devincensi, who served as a guard at Alcatraz from 1950 to 1957, said that being close to the bright lights and life of San Francisco drives prisoners crazy. “The yachts circled around the island and the men from the third tier of blocks C and B could see girls in bikinis drinking cocktails,” he said. It was so close, and at the same time so far … One can only imagine the disappointment experienced by the prisoner, looking at the city skyline or the sunset over the legendary golden state bridge. The prison closed in March 1963 due to high operating costs. In addition, over the years, this place has developed a bad reputation.
Alcatraz overlooking the Golden State Bridge.
Today Alcatraz has become one of the largest travel destinations in the United States. Every year, about 1.4 million tourists travel by ferry to visit one of the worst prisons in the world. Some visit the prison to learn about the history of the prison and its inhabitants, while others visit in the hopes that they will catch a glimpse of something mysterious. With such a brutal and tragic history, it's easy to see why Alcatraz is reportedly haunted by spirits.
Above: Prisoners walking along Broadway, the central aisle of Alcatraz; bottom: numerous tourists today.
The most visited places in Alcatraz are the warden's house, the hospital, the laundry and the C block, where several inmates died in 1946.
According to paranormal researchers, Block D, which had lonely cells, is the place with the most paranormal activity of prisoners 'and guards' spirits.
Prisoners killed, 1946
The air in Block D is said to be significantly colder than in the rest of the prison. As soon as the windowless door slammed in these cells, the prisoner was enveloped in complete darkness and silence. A former prison guard said that when inmates were sent to the cells in Block D, they screamed uncontrollably as soon as the door slammed shut behind them, and all they could see was sheer darkness. Many inmates claimed that they were not alone in these cells and that they often saw the glowing eyes inside the cell with them. There was one inmate who complained about seeing glowing eyes and screamed all night. In the morning he was found dead with traces of suffocation on his neck.
John Banner, who was imprisoned in Alcatraz for 4 years, recalls the night wind squealing to this day.
Solitary confinement cells in Alcatraz.
The prison guards initially laughed at the allegations of the presence of ghosts. However, some began to experience paranormal activity themselves: they heard strange sounds and felt invisible fingers touching them. The first warden even said that while conducting the tour, he heard the woman crying, but when he looked at the source of the crying, there was no one there.
Many talk about the presence of spirits in Alcatraz.
Eric Novencido worked as a night watchman for 10 years after Alcatraz closed its doors. One evening, he took a picture in the electroshock therapy room to show his friends who were interested in his work. When he unrolled the film, the photograph showed a face in the room looking directly at him. “Sometimes I was just overwhelmed with fear,” he said.
Gregory Johnson, another Alcatraz night watchman, said, "I couldn't imagine myself here at night without my pistol." Working in Alcatraz is especially creepy at night, and can be just as scary during the day.
Mary McClure, who spent 12 years working the night shift at Alcatraz, said, "Many times at night in my cell I had the distinct feeling of being pinched."
Prisoners and guards aren't the only ones who have experienced something inexplicable. Visitors claim to have heard mysterious clanging sounds, crying and screaming throughout their tour of the prison. In 2014, British tourist Sheila Sillery-Walsh claimed to have taken a photo of the spirit while visiting Alcatraz. Looking into one of the rooms, she took a picture.
The ghost lady's hair and clothes were from 1930-1940, but none of the Alcatraz guards were able to identify her.
The photograph showed a ghostly figure looking through a glass window at a door. “When I looked at the photo on my mobile, I saw this dark female figure in the picture. I looked out the door window again and there was no one in the room,”Sillery-Walsh said. From that moment on, she was no longer interested in excursions to Alcatraz, she just looked at the photo over and over again.
Another tourist who visited Alcatraz in the 90s was adamant that he and his wife saw the ghost of Robert Stroud, Alcatraz's aviary. “When Debra and I got to the cage, we heard the canaries singing,” said Walter Zahili. "And then we saw an old man sitting on the bed and reading a book."
Perhaps the most notorious ghost of Alcatraz is the ghost of Al Capone.
Al Capone.
While his body lies in a humble grave on a mountain in Carmel Cemetery, his spirit still lurks within the walls of Alcatraz.
The humble grave of one of America's most violent gangsters.
During his imprisonment in Alcatraz, Al Capone was in the final stages of syphilis. He often claimed to be haunted by the ghosts of his victims and mumbled and cried in his cell. Al Capone found solace in the banjo and sat for hours on the bed playing. As syphilis slowly eaten away at his brain and he became more and more irrational, prison guards often heard him plead for mercy on the ghost of James Clark, one of the victims of the Valentine's Day massacre. He spent his last term in prison in the Alcatraz infirmary. Upon his release, his fellow "on the shop" Jake Guzik said he was nuts.
In 1969, a park ranger told a paranormal researcher that eerie banjo music can sometimes be heard emanating from Al Capone's old cell.
Whether you believe the paranormal tales from Alcatraz or fiction, there is no doubt that the island has a fascinating history. Alcatraz even offers night tours for those who love to tickle their nerves. If you were in this unpleasant place - share your feelings.