If we look at three important ghost photos taken at the West Virginia Penitentiary, an old prison that sits in the small town of Moundsville, West Virginia beside the Ohio River, we'll see an incredible similarity between images. The "shadow man," as he has been dubbed, haunts a certain area within Moundsville Prison; and these ghost pictures, collectively, prove his existence.
The Original Moundsville Shadow Man Ghost Photo
Photographed in 2004 by Polly Gear, this ghost has made the West Virginia Penitentiary legendary for being haunted. The image has appeared on different TV shows over the years, even being wrongly debunked by TAPS Ghost Hunters in an early episode of the popular ghost hunting show. The debunking was so off-base that we had to go and pay Polly a visit at the haunted prison to validate the photograph - on-site. You can read our debunking of TAPS' debunking, here: Moundsville Shadow Man. You can read Polly's incredible account, here: Moundsville Penitentiary Shadow Man.
Moundsville Shadow Man Investigation
Moundsville Penitentiary Shadow Man
Moundsville Shadow Ghost Pic
Moundsville Ghost Picture
Stooping Moundsville Shadow Man
Moundsville Shadow Man Photo: Dining Hall
In 2008, we received our second photo of the shadow man appearing very near the same area the first shadow man was captured. This time, the ghost was caught walking within the dining hall by Pamela Tackett. You can clearly see the ghost on the right side of this amazing photograph.
To read the full story from Pam and learn more about this inscredible ghost photo, see the Moundsville Ghost Picture.
Moundsville Shadow Man Photo: Psyche Ward Picture
Photographed by Ben and Zana Willis in 2013, this photo of the Moundsville Penitentiary shadow man was captured upstairs in the medical area, specifically the psyche ward. Creepily crawling, or kneeling down, this ghost was either attempting to hide or was up to something else. (You can read Ben and Zana's account, here: Moundsville Stooping Shadow Man.)
We were interested in finding out just how close the psyche ward was to the dining area where Pamela and Polly photographed the shadow man. If they were close enough, we couldn't help but wonder if all three people captured the same ghost. So, we called the West Virginia Penitentiary and found that the psyche ward is above the old dining room which is above the contact visiting room, at least 200 feet down the hall from where the original shadow man photograph was taken. So, it is reasonably close in proximity. We also contacted Polly Gear. Polly said the the psych ward also runs the length of the big hall where she shot the original shadow man photo and that it is above that big hall you can see in her photograph. So, this section of building at the WV Pen is home to at least one, maybe two, shadow men. Is it the same male ghost? It could be, but you decide.
Tip for Investigation
If you elect to do an investigation of this general area, may we suggest that you set-up some video cameras with Infrared night vision, or full spectrum capability, and work to further validate the shadow man of Moundsville Prison in the kitchen area, psyche ward and accompanying hallways. If you gather evidence to confirm this story, please write us!