Idaho was still a territory when the first sandstone cell block went up at the site on the eastern edge of Boise in 1870. The prison received its first inmates in 1872 and would not close until December 3, 1973, when 416 inmates were transferred to the new Idaho State Correctional Institution south of the city.
Over 101 years, the prison held thieves, murderers, and political prisoners. The cell complex grew considerably from its territorial origins, adding the Women's Ward, the Gallows Room in the Maximum Security cell house, and the solitary confinement unit that inmates called 'Siberia' — an apt name for a concrete space designed to enforce isolation through sensory deprivation. The 'Dungeon' and 'Cooler' were separate punishment facilities with their own documented histories of extended confinement.
Ten prisoners were executed at the facility over its lifetime. Raymond Snowden, convicted of murder, was the only inmate executed in the Gallows Room as it currently stands. The others were hanged elsewhere on the grounds during earlier periods of the prison's operation.
The 1973 fire — set by inmates during a protest — destroyed three cell houses. The remaining structures were transferred to the Idaho State Historical Society, which opened the site to visitors and has operated it as a heritage attraction since. The complex was featured on Ghost Adventures (Season 1), The Lowe Files, Haunted Towns, and Destination Fear, making it one of the most media-documented haunted prison sites in the western United States.
Note: The location file for this entry lists the state as Louisiana, which is a data error. The Old Idaho Penitentiary is located in Boise, Idaho.
Sources
- https://history.idaho.gov/location/old-penitentiary/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Idaho_State_Penitentiary
- https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-places/old-idaho-state-penitentiary/
Phantom voicesTouching/pushingCold spotsShadow figuresEVPEquipment malfunction
The Gallows Room is where Raymond Snowden died in 1957, sentenced for the murder of a Boise woman whose body was found stabbed twenty-nine times. The room is intact. The mechanism still works. Visitors describe a quality of stillness there that differs from the rest of the building — not dramatic, just distinct.
Siberia is the other focal point. The solitary confinement cells were designed for isolation: low light, minimal contact, extended confinement that court records describe as punitive beyond standard incarceration. Visitors in Siberia report hearing their names called, physical touches on arms and shoulders, and a heaviness that several have described as difficulty breathing normally.
Big River Paranormal has conducted formal investigations of the site on multiple occasions, using equipment to attempt contact with the reported presences. Investigators describe the activity as intelligent rather than residual — the responses shift with questions, and the phenomena appear to follow visitors between rooms.
Ghost Adventures filmed at the penitentiary for its first season, in the eighth episode. Destination Fear returned for a second season investigation. The volume of media coverage has not diminished the first-person accounts from independent visitors; if anything, the documentation has attracted more investigative teams, adding to the record.
The prison's long history — 101 years, thousands of inmates, violence documented in court records and institutional archives — provides the historical weight that makes the paranormal reports here feel grounded rather than generic.
Media Appearances
- Ghost Adventures Season 1
- Destination Fear Season 2
- The Lowe Files
- Haunted Towns
