Paranormal Powerhouse: Haunted Old Lavaca County Jail

I have been a paranormal investigator now for 14 years. In that time I have been to a lot of locations that boast the moniker of " MOST HAUNTED" before their name. In those travels I have been sorely disappointed in what I would call a "misrepresentation" of the actual validity of their paranormal activity. Of all the locations and homes I have investigated the one location that truly is one of the "most haunted" does not even have the phrase in their name.

This place has earned a spot in Haunted Journeys list of the Most Haunted jails and prison in North America. Read that again!! Not Texas, Not the U.S.  ……..  BUT NORTH AMERICA!!

I am talking about Haunted Old Lavaca County Jail in Hallettsville, Texas.

Tucked away in a sleepy little town, this place is THE most active location that I have ever visited. There is not one room or square inch of this historic location that does not have paranormal activity running through it. So many have come before and after our visit that have documented so many paranormal encounters. From strange and unusual noises to seeing full-bodied shadow figures walking the hallways. Haunted Old Lavaca County Jail is one place that will either reaffirm your belief in the paranormal or turn you into a basket case from the overwhelming fear you experience from its ghosts.

With 120 years of service to the community as the county jail, this building has seen its fair share of horrific events. There are numerous documented inmate suicides that have occurred in the jail cells and countless cases of inmate upon inmate physical assaults. With this much pain and anguish in such a compact location, its not hard to image why there is so much paranormal activity here.

The silver lining in this spooky place are the property managers, Debra Fawcett and Lisa Mihalik Franks. These two wonderfully gracious ladies make everyone who visits feel like family. They go above and beyond to make the paranormal investigators who visit feel as comfortable as possible. Not only do they give you a tour of the facility, but they give you the entire 411 of this historic location. They are more than just the care takers of this property, they are its life line to the present. They are constantly cleaning the jail, constantly renovating, constantly preserving the history of this magnificent building.


I have had the pleasure of visiting HOLCJ twice as an investigator and once as a guest to the World's Largest Ghost Hunt. Each and every time I have been greeted with a smile and a hug!! This is just how they are, they are beautiful people with warm hearts. So if your not ready to be greeted as a life long friend, get ready to be!! Their straight forward no nonsense approach to the paranormal and their willingness to share their own experiences in the jail is why I LOVE coming here! Well, besides the fact that it truly is HAUNTED!!!

In closing, if you are ever out and about looking for some "Stay-cation" adventure, look up the Haunted Old Lavaca County Jail and see if you can catch one of their tours or even book your own overnight paranormal investigation. If you do, when you see Debra and Lisa , tell them I said hello!!