Black Jail - Guthrie, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 52.810 W 097° 25.629
14S E 641977 N 3971799
This former federal prison, the first in the Territory, is said to be haunted.
Waymark Code: WMDD1V
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 12/27/2011
Views: 3
This building, known as Black Jail, is located on the north side of the downtown area of Guthrie. The original jail (shown in this gallery of pictures) (
visit link) was a stone two-story building with a flat roof. It was named "Black Jail" by inmates and was constructed with 18-inch thick walls of dark limestone and brick. The main entrance was on the second floor of the west wall. An outside set of stairs led to a metal cage built outside that entrance.
This Federal Prison was built in 1892 and thought to be non-escapable, however, a group of 14 inmates did escape in July of 1896 -- a group that included the infamous Bill Doolin.
The prison closed in the early 1900s. It was later used by a religious group (some sources say Nazarene - some say Methodist) who used the building as a church until the 1970's. It was during this time that the building was expanded, with the east side having a gabled roof constructed over an arched double-doorway, and the building stuccoed. The building was later occupied by the Samaritan Foundation, a religious cult often associated with murder, scandal and conspiracy, and said to have members who were government activists and radicals. This group vacated the premises in 1995.
The building officially closed in the late 1990s after the Department of Human Services declared the building to be unfit for the children and families living there. A project to restore the building which began with roof restoration has begun, but is progressing slowly over the years, due to lack of funding. The building is said to be haunted and has been investigated by paranormal organizations.