A Deep Look into Idaho’s Most Haunted Place, Boise’s Creepy Old Idaho Penitentiary (Gallery)

Boise is Home to one of the Most Haunted Places in America. Stories about the Old Penitentiary have surrounded Idaho for decades and decades and decades. Everything from the riots to the fires to the hauntings have been told in various ways over and over again. The prison originally opened in 1872 and a lot has happened behind the raised towered walls since. 

I was afforded the opportunity to take a behind the scenes tour with Josh Lewis, Roofing and Asbestos Program Manager for the State of Idaho, who has done work on the Old Pen and Stephen Chesnut, the Maintenance and Operations Supervisor of the Old Penitentiary. Stephen has worked exclusively at the old pen for about 5 years and is a wealth of knowledge.

The Old Idaho Penitentiary is well known and often named the most haunted spot in the gem state. After the second riots broke out and a massively destructive fire in the kitchen and dining area in 1973 the prison closed after housing some of the most dangerous criminals in the world for over 100 years. 

See the ins and outs of this historic, iconic and haunted piece of Idaho.