New Jersey

Mt. Holly

Burlington County Prison Museum

The Burlington County Prison Museum is a National Historic Landmark located in historic Mount Holly.The prison was completed in 1811. One of Robert Mills' first designs as an independent architect, the interior vaulted ceilings of poured concrete and brick and stone construction made the building virtually fireproof. I Sticks and stones may break their bones but stone and iron will break their mind. Such is the Burlington County Prison Museum in Mt. Holly, New Jersey. This looks like a formidable castle fortress built of stone and iron.n fact, it was so well constructed that it remained in constant use until 1965.

Prisoners made it their home here in jail until 1966 then the ghosts took over and moved in. One is the ghost of a convicted murder, Joseph Clough who beat his mistress to death with a leg from a table. They hung him in 1854,but guards and other prisoners hear his moans and groans coming from his empty cell. Not only sounds are heard but objects are seen levitating in his cell as if being lifted by invisible hands.

In 1966, as the county began a restoration project at the jail, workers started reporting strange voices and screams coming from the building. Loud, unexplained noises and missing tool that magically showed out in strange places had the workers on edge. No one wanted to be the last one in the building.

Today, the old jail is a museum and at last word, the ghosts still reside within its walls.

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