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History - The current Pottawattamie County jail in Council Bluffs, Iowa was completed in August, 1885. It is one of only 16 revolving jails constructed and the only 3 story one. It was designed to house 60 prisoners providing maximum security with minimal jailer attention. The jail was in continuous use until 1969 and saw every kind of criminal from the petty thieves to those who committed the more serious crimes of rape and murder.
Paranormal claims - Documented paranormal claims go back to the 1950s when a jailer refused to live in the 4th floor apartment because he heard phantom footsteps. Visitors to the jail have reported hearing those phantom footsteps, hearing unexplained voices and whispers and seeing dark shadows. The investigation - We investigated the squirrel Cage jail on a mostly cloudy day in April, 2021. After setting up 4 static night vision cameras, we conducted EVP sessions on the first, second and fourth floors. The third floor cell area is used mainly as storage for the historical society and, while we were permitted access to it, it was difficult to move around, so we opted not to investigate that area. During a spirit box session in the bullpen on the first floor, we captured two interesting EVPs. We could make out the first one but could not make out what the second one was saying. While we were in the juvenile holding area on the third floor we captured a whistle, which is one of the paranormal claims. And while in the 4th floor jailer’s apartment we captured a voice seemingly giving us permission to enter. The most activity occurred in the booking area. Toward the end of the investigation, Michelle and our tour guide Kat spent some time doing an EVP session. They captured several EVPs, heard music playing and got some interaction on the rempod. Is the Squirrel Cage jail haunted? We think so. |