This project, and the group invited, was asked to photograph the old jail as it is now. Renovations will begin soon and the structure will be completely changed for commercial purposes.

I began inside by capturing the first things a person would see upon entering the jail. You are immediately enclosed in heavy walls and steel bars.

No place like this exists without tales of strange happenings. We were lucky to have people who are there all the time to explain experiences without the drama of a ‘ghost tour’.

The entrance here is a busy location for temperature changes. Usually sudden cold. No spirits descend on people. Workers have seen a person go by and realize they were the only one in the jail.

The jail has had work and repairs over the years, even an industrial technical school trained here during off hours. The building itself has sensors, alarms, and electronic locks at night. This brings the question of how are there so many foot prints, different sizes, through the fresh plaster and saw dust in the morning. It’s common so the prints are just swept away.

This part of the jail has a strange history for condemned prisoners.

The prisoner was kept here in a large empty cell for a period of time. After a while his executioner joined him here, locked in for a while. Finally the minister attending to the prisoner joined them. All were locked together for (I forget how long) a time. I recall the time being weeks, not hours. How creepy is that.

Note; The old Charleston Jail is being renovated to be used for commercial purposes. A small group was invited to visit and photograph the historical site before it is gone. This is part of that project.