Backstage Pass: Ghostbusting in The Old Jail

by VICTORIA HENLEY of BACKSTAGE PASS: Stationed in the heart of the nation’s oldest city, St Augustine, Fla., The Old Jail was commissioned by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler in 1891.

Although designed in an aesthetically pleasing Romanesque Revival style with a Queen Anne Look (so as not to scare off wealthy town visitors), the stately “Old Jail” would ultimately become home to endless wrongful incarcerations, grisly fatalities, and eight (documented) hangings. 

The jail was operational for 62 consecutive years (from 1891 to 1953) and saw a rotating line up of leadership from numerous sheriffs, some of decent character, and some of nefarious intent. Perhaps most nefarious was the fearsome Joe Perry, a bear of a man whose reign of terror was the longest seen at the jail (from 1917 to 1946), and numerous placards with factoids about the infamous 6’6, 300 pound sheriff, who lived in the onsite quarters with his family, adorn the exterior and interiors of the facility. 

The Old Jail officially closed as a working prison in 1953 and opened as a museum the following year in 1954, subsequently hosting thousands of guests from around the world who traveled to tour the confines of the establishment and learn about its’s vast history and dark underbelly. 

Fran Rafferty, the founder of “Old Jail After Dark” joined the staff after a mysterious woman left him a voicemail asking him to come in for a job interview (it was later revealed that the woman did not work for the company, nor was the number a working line when Rafferty attempted calling it back) after which he eventually conceived the idea to start a late night experience, where paranormal enthusiasts could experience the dark eerie splendor of the Old Jail in an intimate , up close, and personal manner. 

Since , the Old Jail After Dark has been a central focus of countless top paranormal investigation television shows, Podcasts (be sure to check out our previous spotlight features as well as the “Backstage Pass on Iheart Radio “ interview with Rafferty on the Iheart Radio App, or wherever you get your podcasts), YouTube segments, etc., offering an unparalleled paranormal experience where guests are afforded the opportunity to explore the confines of the storied Old Jail for 2.5 hours while learning little known, bone-chilling facts about its history by the trusted tour guides. 

State of the Art, Top of the Line equipment, such as infrared thermometers (also known as thermometer guns) a REM Pod (Radiating Electromagnetism Pod, which is is a popular piece of ghost-hunting equipment designed to detect changes in energy fields and ambient temperature) and EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon, which is a tool used in ghost hunting to capture unexplained audio, voices, or sounds that are not heard by the human ear at the time of recording) is utilized to enhance guests’ ghost investigation experience. 

Also utilized in helping sense paranormal activity is “Boo Buddy”, an interactive teddy bear with built-in electronic sensors designed for ghost hunting and paranormal investigations which is programmed to say a variety of phrases and even said some non-programmed phrases throughout the duration of our tour. 

Our guide, amiable, personable, and deeply knowledgeable in regards to the Jail’s vast and grim history, took the tour group into the kitchen area for a briefing, after which our group (comprised of roughly a dozen individuals, all seemingly quite serious about spirituality and ghostly activities) commenced on the next portion of their tours. The group was split into two parts (upstairs team and downstairs team) where we were urged to conduct our own investigations with the equipment we selected. 

Utilizing an EVP device, dowsing rods and a free ghost hunting tool that I downloaded on my cell, Lynn (Backstage Pass photographer) and I conducted an in depth investigation with a list of pre-determined questions, during which we experienced an assortment of anomalies, including, the devices coherently answering our questions in succession and in real time, dowsing rods consistently “crossing” for “yes” and spreading apart for “no” etc. 

Highlights of the downstairs experience include solitary confinement (toward the end of our conversation with a spirit, it informed via our communication device that our conversation was “boring”), tours of the cells overlooking the gallows where the inmates sentenced to hang were forced to build their own death contraptions, and the sheriff’s office, where we detected a humanoid figure on our thermal thermometer and smelled a variety of very foul and morbid odors. 

The upstairs area offers a hair-raising walk through general population cells, where a strange figure called “The Crawler” (whom many believe to be an Elemental Spirit) has been seen by a variety of guests from around the world. The Family Quarters (where Sheriff Joe Perry and his family lived onsite) features a desk bell that rings once for “yes” and twice for “no” , answering a multitude of questions. 

Upon the conclusion of the tour, guests are ushered back to the “base camp” area for a recap of the investigation as well as a “cleansing prayer” to ensure that spirits do not attach and make their way home with an unsuspecting guests. 

Whether you’re a paranormal aficionado, a newcomer, or a raging cynic, Old Jail After Dark will fascinate, perplex and intrigue you, causing you to question everything you thought you knew about the after life and the spirit world. 

Special thanks to Dave Chatterton and the entire Old Jail After Dark Team for having us)

WEBSITE: https://www.trolleytours.com/st-augustine/old-jail-after-dark-tour

PHONE NUMBER: (904) 701-0083

INSTAGRAM @old_jail_after_dark