HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
1852 Morgantown corner building with a barred basement cell said to have held Civil War prisoners
High Street and Walnut Street, Morgantown, WV 26505
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
No charge to view the building exterior from the street. The basement cell is not open to the public; street-level tenants keep their own business hours.
Access
Limited Access
Downtown sidewalk corner; basement is below grade and not publicly accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1852 · Civil War history · Jones-Imboden Raid (1863) · Historic downtown architecture
The Berman Building has stood at the corner of High and Walnut Streets in downtown Morgantown since 1852. The turreted brick structure is one of the older commercial buildings in the city's downtown and over its history has held a range of street-level tenants; in recent years the ground floor has housed the Dirty Bird restaurant.
The building's place in local history rests on its basement. Beneath the structure are remnants described as a wooden cell with bars, set among layers of older and newer walls. Local historians believe the cell functioned as a jail, and the prevailing account connects it to the Civil War. During the April 1863 Jones-Imboden Raid, Confederate cavalry moved through Morgantown, and the basement cell is said to have held prisoners taken in that period. Historian Barbara Rasmussen has noted that the town's reputation as a jailing place earned it a harsh nickname from Confederate sympathizers during the 1863 raid.
The exact original purpose of the cell is not settled. Researchers have suggested it may have served as an auxiliary jail when the county facility was full, or as a less conspicuous place to hold prisoners. The basement is not open to the public, and the structures remain largely hidden from view, which has helped keep the story in the realm of local lore even as the building itself remains in everyday commercial use.
Sources
The Berman Building's reputation as a haunted site grows directly out of its basement cell and the Civil War history attached to it. Because the cell is associated with the holding of prisoners during the 1863 Jones-Imboden Raid, local storytelling has cast the space as one charged with old suffering.
The building is presented as a stop on the Morgantown ghost tour run by Mountaineer Excursions, where guides describe it as the downtown building that held Civil War prisoners. On the tour the basement and its barred cell anchor the narrative, with the hidden, below-grade space lending the story its atmosphere.
Specific reported phenomena are limited and anecdotal, and no documented investigation has established a verified cause for any account. The interest in the Berman Building comes mostly from the tangible historical detail at its heart: a barred cell beneath an ordinary downtown corner, and the unresolved question of exactly who was held there.
Notable Entities
The turreted 1852 Berman Building stands at the northwest corner of High and Walnut Streets in downtown Morgantown. The exterior can be viewed from the sidewalk at any time. The basement cell tied to the building's Civil War story is hidden from public view; street-level tenants operate during their own hours.
Some links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
This Morgantown tour includes Berman Building on its route.
Book this tourEvery HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
11 verified stops, rated for families, mapped in order. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Morgantown, WV
The brick commercial building at 123 Pleasant Street dates to 1891. In 1982 Marsha Ferber opened the Underground Railroad nightclub here, which became a hub for live music and political events in 1980s Morgantown. Ferber disappeared in late April 1988 and was never found; the building now operates as the music venue 123 Pleasant Street.
Kansas City, MO
On June 17, 1933, gunmen ambushed a federal law-enforcement party in the south parking lot of Kansas City Union Station, killing four officers — including FBI Special Agent Raymond Caffrey — and the prisoner they were transporting, escaped bank robber Frank Nash. The FBI attributed the attack primarily to Vernon Miller and, controversially, to Pretty Boy Floyd and Adam Richetti. The killings outraged Congress and directly prompted legislation granting FBI agents the permanent authority to carry firearms and make arrests.
Huntington, WV
On November 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed on approach to Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 aboard, including 37 Marshall University football players, the coaching staff, university personnel, and supporters. The Memorial Fountain, designed by sculptor Harry Bertoia and dedicated in 1972, commemorates the dead and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.