The Undead Inmates of Old Clay County Jail
Posted: 10.11.2024 | Updated: 10.11.2024
When one thinks of Green Cove Springs, images of lush greenery and scenic riverways flood the mind. But far from the rich waterways and forested wetlands lies a building with little air or sunlight. The forgotten Clay County Jail may no longer be in operation, yet it still appears to be rife with activity.
The Old Clay County Jail has a long and disturbing history. First built in 1894, this jail has experienced many troubling events over the years, from near escapes to executions. The past may seem long gone to visitors who tour the site today—but the creaks of an agonizing history emanate from the rusted cell doors, hinting at a past with more still to tell.
Who Haunts the Old Clay County Jail?
The ghosts of Old Clay County Jail may have been forced to stay quietly confined in their cells in life, but they certainly refuse to remain silent in the hereafter. Unexplained apparitions, spectral voices, and phantom footsteps are all common incidents at this jail-turned-museum.
Paranormal investigators and ghosthunters near and far have flocked to this location in the hope of recording these otherworldly echoes. Is this your kind of stopover? Book a ghost tour with Old City Ghosts to visit some of Florida’s most haunted sites.
A One Hundred and Thirty-Year-Old History
The Old Clay County Jail, as seen today, was not how it looked some hundred years ago. The jail was first built in 1894, assembled from red brick. The aged building was painted over in 1963, but its original colors kept seeping through, staining the white paint pink. It seems the past of this restless haunt cannot help but bleed into the present.
Since then, the jail has been repainted many times to achieve its now white shade, but the eerie atmosphere of its past still permeates the present. This jail once held men, women, juveniles, and those with mental illnesses within its one-foot-thick brick walls. It’s a decent-sized establishment, including 16 varying-sized jail cells.
No less than six executions by hanging occurred on the front steps of the property from 1894 to 1916, while some sources report a total of seven executions by scaffolding.
Still, not all who left this jail did so in such a violent fashion. There were at least two attempted escapes, one of which involved an inmate who fashioned a key from a spoon in 1964. This ambitious inmate, Billy Joe Krebb, cleverly let himself out of his cell along with a few other prisoners. Much to his chagrin, the crude key could not unlock the main door of the jail, and the escapees were soon recaptured.
Conditions inside the jail were less than ideal. A sweat-box was kept out back for unruly troublemakers, where captives were kept in solitary confinement.
Even for those inside, the jail had little ventilation and no air conditioning, rendering the environment a cruel and stifling one during the oppressive summer months in Florida. Diseases spread in the poorly circulated hot air, and the moans of the ill likely intermingled with those of the insane, echoing off the thick walls.
A Paranormal Investigator’s Wonderland
Many paranormal experts have frequented the Old Clay County Jail over the years. They are quite welcome, in fact. Archives Specialist Vishi Garig entertains historians during the day and ghostly investigations after hours upon approval. Given her experiences, it's no wonder why.
Garig herself has reported hearing ghostly footsteps in the jail and old courthouse during the late night hours. Staff don’t seem overly troubled by the occurrences either, often leaving playing cards upstairs in the jail so they can check for signs of movement.
Garig’s computer contains dozens of electronic voice phenomenon and electromagnetic frequency recordings given to her by ghost hunter groups. It is clear that the spirits of this phantom jail prefer to make visitors well aware of their presence.
The Old Clay County Jail is well known to those seeking evidence of the afterlife. The TAPS Team of SyFy Channel's Ghost Hunters filmed their experiences on the site. They are far from the only paranormal investigators, however. The Jacksonville Paranormal Research Society & RIP Team, CAPE Paranormal Investigations, Patrick Burns of Haunting Evidence, and Scott Tepperman from Ghost Hunters International have all laid their eyes upon these decrepit walls.
Those who have braved to walk inside these rooms after dark have experienced voices, the echoes of footsteps and shuffling feet, and the creaking sounds of swinging cell doors. Photographs have registered anomalies and other unexplained visages within these so-called empty cells. Some have even reported being touched.
Ghosts of the Incarcerated: Murderers, Thieves, and the Insane
The jail's exterior may seem nothing out of the ordinary, as it sits amongst the grassy green lawn and gigantic oak trees that shade its grounds. Inside is a different story.
Within, the bars of the abandoned site are caked in rust. Paint peels from the walls as if recoiling from the room itself, and the creaking metal cots lie empty. The occupants of these abandoned jail cells were held for many crimes: trespassing, assault, kidnapping—even murder.
These aren’t the only restless spirits who reside within these walls. For others, their crimes were no worse than being homeless, mentally ill, or suffering from alcoholism. The worst offenders, the maximum security prisoners, were contained in the upstairs portion of the building, facing south. Other cells often held those imprisoned for theft, gambling, or prostitution.
Many emotionally unstable individuals ended up in this jail, sometimes being held there before transportation to a mental institution, other times indefinitely. There was no local hospital, so those found to be insane were kept there until they could be moved to the state-run mental facility. Many of those detained committed no crimes other than suffering from modern conditions like schizophrenia, dementia, or postpartum depression.
According to Garig, one such woman who suffered from postpartum depression, as evidenced by records, even died. Another legend tells of a man sentenced to death by hanging who decided to end his life on his own terms—by stabbing himself in the chest with a butter knife.
Why do these departed souls remain? Some feel these tortured spirits linger due to their tragic deaths or to complete unfinished business, while more wicked entities likely fear a worse fate. Others speculate that the more sinister spirits who haunt these corridors do so because they dread the ultimate judgment: commitment to eternal damnation.
Haunted St. Augustine
Fortunately, the jail hasn’t housed any inmates for around 50 years. The jail continued operation until 1972, making it the second oldest still-standing jail in Florida. Today, the Old Clay County Jail operates as a museum and is home to the Clay County Archives and Historical Resource Center. The historic courthouse offers both guided and self-guided tours.
The ghosts likely won’t mind your presence, given that you respect their quarters. It seems they tend to bother those looking for trouble mostly. To unearth more historic locations and spine-tingling sites, schedule a corporeal tour with Old City Ghosts. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Florida hauntings.
Sources:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/old-clay-county-jail
https://www.syfy.com/ghost-hunters/photos/a-textbook-case-season-9-episode-24#59941
https://www.abandonedcentral.com/blog/2024/4/23/inside-the-twisted-old-clay-county-abandoned-jail
https://claytodayonline.com/stories/ghost-hunters-encounter-spirits-at-old-jail,880
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