Old Calhoun County Jail
20830 Northeast W.C. Reeder Drive
Blountstown, Florida
When I was working on part two of my series on Florida Hauntings, County by County—Part II, I ran into a problem that has persistently plagued me: I had information on a haunting, but it was far too little. For several years, the sheriff of Calhoun County, Florida has opened the old jail in Blountstown as a haunted attraction to raise money for charity. Articles covering the event have hinted at actual paranormal activity in the jail, but none have specifically discussed the activity, until this Halloween.
In a November 1st article for the Panama City ABC affiliate, WMBB, a former jail chief reported that the jail is “haunted by trouble.” The jail chief began working at the facility in 1984 and during her tenure the sheriff shot and killed an inmate in the building. “The sheriff shot him, and the place [the bullet hole, presumably] is still in the wall. He got to the top of the steps and he died,” the retired jailer noted.
After that incident, the jailer began to see “mysterious movements” while on her rounds through the building. One evening, she reached the top of the steps and heard the sound of a door slamming. Calling another officer, he investigated but was not able to locate the source of the sound.
The old jail was constructed in 1920 and served the local sheriff until 2007. A few years ago, the sheriff came up with the idea of taking people through the building for a few scares as the “old jail is scary on a regular day.” According to the sheriff, this haunted jail event will open the building to visitors for future Halloween.
Sources
- Gannon, Megan. “Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office hosts Haunted Jail Tours.” WMBB. October 2016.
- Marasco, Ron. “Spooks and spirits invade old Calhoun County Jail.” WJHG. 22 October 2015.
- Mitchell, Kirsten. “Florida Panhandle home to some of the most haunted sites in the country.” WMBB. 1 November 2017.
Hello, WC Reeder was my great uncle (my Grandfathers brother). I remember visiting the jail when I was a young boy. There has been a story of my uncle shooting a man and killing him in the 50’s I believe. The story was that WC had arrested a woman for prostitution. As he was locking her in a cell her pimp I guess you would call him came up the stairs and told WC that he was there to get his woman. WC told him he needed to go back down the stairs. The man supposedly pulled a knife and WC shot him. That is a story that can probably be verified through county records.