This one lies in our backyard, but is often overlooked. The old jail would be an awesome location for our group to investigate, but being a County office building now, we most likely won't ever be granted an opportunity (though we will ask). One can only imagine the energy that is inside this building. We love investigating old jails and will soon be highlighting our adventures at the infamous West Virginia State Penitentiary.
The Allegheny County Courthouse and Old Jail
Exuding a gothic old world feel, this architectural marvel boasts soaring towers, turrets, spires, Syrian arches, as well as Byzantine and Romanesque details that helps distinguish Pittsburgh's famous skyline. It certainly seems like the perfect setting for a haunting. It's also the exact site of the Battle of Grant's Hill that took place during the French & Indian War. You can see the battle scenes depicted in five murals in the courthouse commissioned during the 1930s. In 1907, some of the city's most hardened criminals asked to be moved because they were being tormented by the ghost of a former inmate that committed suicide on the site. Their request was granted. Also, claims that a Mrs. Soffel, a former jail warden's wife is said to wander through the jail. She aided in the city's most famous jailbreak of the Biddle Brothers, helping her incarcerated lover on a short-lived escape. Both brothers were eventually killed in a shoot out. Mrs. Soffel served 19 months in prison for her crime and was abandoned by her husband and children, dying alone in 1910.
Historical information borrowed from this website.
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