Since 2009 ghost hunters and historians have been gathering at the Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise for an annual Halloween themed event which has been dubbed “Frightened Felons.”
The occasion typically takes place every year on the last weekend in October and features tours, scavenger hunts and reenactments that focus on the paranormal and spooky activities that have supposedly taken place at the old prison, since its closure in 1973. The reenactments, which have become especially popular, consists of actors depicting, “infamous inmates from the past,” which helps the participants “explore the darker aspects” of the prison’s 140 year history, including “executions, suicides, escapes and day-to-day prison life.” An Idaho State Historical Society October 2011 news release, asked patrons of the event to “explore the darker side of history” and stated that, “Frightened Felons’ promises an entertaining, eerie and educational evening at the Old Idaho Penitentiary.”
In a 2009 online article at KTVB.com by Edgar Linares, “Old Pen” historian Amber Beirle commented on the unique and inescapable feeling that is contained within the walls of the prison saying, “I’m here somewhat alone a lot of the time…you can’t deny the creepy feeling that goes on here.”
The website Haunted Places To Go.com, even went so far as to label the Old Idaho Penitentiary, “The most haunted prison in Idaho,” and has designated the Old Pen’s complex as a, “massive and spooky structure.”
The ghost sightings and paranormal activities that have allegedly occurred at the “Old Pen” gained national interest thanks to a Travel Channel show called Ghost Adventures featuring one of their 2008 episodes at the Old Idaho Penitentiary facility. The purpose of the show is to investigate ghost sightings at haunted buildings and see if the sightings possess any real merit. The conclusion of the episode that focused on the “Old Pen,” was that in fact there are lingering death row inmate’s spirits that are still haunting the prison to this day. This is one of the reasons why the Frightened Felons event has become, “One of the Treasure Valley’s most popular Halloween activities.”
References
Haunted Places To Go.com. (n.d.). “The Most Haunted Prison in Idaho: The Idaho State Penitentiary.” Retrieved November 18, 2011 from Haunted Places To Go.com: http://www.haunted-places-to-go.com/most-haunted-prison.html
Idaho State Historical Society. (2011, October 11). “News Release: Frightened Felons Promises an Entertaining, Eerie, and Educational Evening at the Old Idaho Penitentiary.” Retrieved November 13, 2011 at Idaho State Historical Society: http://www.history.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/10-11-11%20Frightened%20Felons%20Press%20Release%20(2).PDF
Linares, E. (2009, October 30). “Old Idaho Penitentiary opens Halloween night for ghostly tours.” Retrieved November 15, 2011, from KTVB.com: http://www.ktvb.com/news/Old-Idaho-Pen-to-offer-tours-on-Halloween-night-67661822.html
Travel Channel. (n.d.). “Ghost Adventures: Old Idaho Penitentiary.“ Retrieved November 20, 2011 from Travel Channel: http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/old-idaho-penitentiary
