The Haunted Fortress: South Dakota State Penitentiary (South Dakota)

Haunted American History · Aug 13, 2026 · 19m

For more than 140 years, a pink quartzite fortress known simply as The Hill has loomed over Sioux Falls. Its walls have witnessed riots, murders, executions, deadly escape attempts—and one innocent man who had to be hanged three times before the state finally killed him. But the prison's strangest story comes from its chapel, where generations of guards reported a mysterious woman, unexplained cold spots, moving objects, and even a locked door seemingly opening by itself. Nobody knew who she was. Then, buried in the archives, investigators found the forgotten story of a woman murdered on that…