Beauregard Parish Jail

via Pinterest
Beauregard Parish Jail also known as the Gothic Jail or Hanging Jail in DeRidder, Louisiana. The Beauregard Parish Police Jury purchased land for a new courthouse and jail. Stevens-Nelson designed the buildings while Falls City Construction Company was awarded the contract to build them in September 1913. Both were completed in 1915.

The building did not only have an unique design but it also contains a toilet, shower, lavatory, window in each cell and a spiral staircase. The jail could hold over 50 prisoners at a time. There was a jailers' quarters on the bottom floor with a kitchen and a tunnel leading from the courthouse to the jail to transport prisoners for trial.

The jail received it's nickname after a double execution by hanging in 1928. Joe Genna and Molton Brasseaux murdered a taxi cab driver named J. J. Brevelle while he was taking them to the John Miller place on August 28, 1926. They wanted money and had planned to hi-jack Brevelle. Genna and Brasseaux hit him 15 times, stabbed him with a screwdriver and cut his throat before dumping his body off a bridge. Then took the money and taxi and attempted to escape, but was arrested a few days later. Genna and Brasseaux were found guilty and hanged on March 9th. It was the first time DeRidder had seen an execution. The jail was closed to inmates in 1984. It's currently not in use, but funding is being sought to save it and the building is being considered as a location for an upcoming Disney film.

It is believed that spirits of the two inmates hanged in the jail haunt the building. Former police and inmates have witnessed figures throughout the building. Witnesses have heard footsteps, and running water. There are reports of smelling pipe smoke.


Sources:

Wikipedia 

What You Need to Know - DeRidder Jail (a more indepth account of J. J. Brevelle's murder and trial/execution of Joe Genna and Molton Brasseaux)

Comments

Mohammad Sadiq said…
Hmm intresting ,Do you have any idea which movie is going to be filmed in this location ?
By the way , amazing blog I'm thinking of visiting some haunted places for my 18th birthday !
Anonymous said…
http://www.youtube.com/user/SpooksInPune
Anonymous said…
Disney film? Hmmm interesting.... :D
Dean Chesson said…
I took this picture, where did you get it from?
Anonymous said…
The movie Eli will feature the Gothic Jail. It was recently purchased by netflix January 2019.

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