A chain hangs loose on the main corridor gates of Old Main State Penitentiary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The corridor stands empty but in 1980 1,156 inmates shuffled through these halls.
The control room of Old Main State Penitentiary stands disheveled and dusty after being vacant for 15 years. During the 1980 prison riot it took a mere 15 minutes for prisoners to take over this control room after escaping from the medical infirmary.
Old
Main was overflowing in 1980 and this cell block housed murders with
those convicted with check fraud. During the riot cell block five was
closed creating more close quarters for some of the worst criminals
in New Mexico.
Lt.
Vincent V. Vigil stands in front of cell block two. Vigil has worked
in corrections for 18 years and hopes to help Old Main become a
museum. The proceeds would help the penitentiary and community.
Fence lines the balcony of cell block 3 to prevent officers from falling or being pushed by inmates through their cell bars. This fence was added after the 1980 riots when several bodies were hung from the balcony.
Lt.
Vigil points to a burn mark on the floor of cell block three where paint
has been applied multiple times only to have the burned figure
re-appear. Many employees and visitors claim to have experienced
supernatural phenomena in this part of the prison.
Old
Main closed its doors to prisoners in 1998 but quickly opened them
for movies like The
Longest Yard
and All
The Pretty Horses. The
whispers of hauntings have brought film crews from paranormal shows
also.
Many
visitors see a figure in this door. What do you see?
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