Kewaunee Jail Museum
This former county jail may still be home to spirits of sheriffs and a phantom fire-starter
Paranormal Activity at Kewaunee Jail Museum
- Visitors have been touched by unseen hands
- Shadow figures have been spotted
- Ghostly whispers and conversations have been heard coming from empty rooms
- Disembodied footsteps can be heard in hallways
- Both cold and warm spots have been encountered
- Lights have been turned on by unseen forces
History of the Haunted Kewaunee Jail Museum
On the quiet path of Dodge Street in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, one block is dominated by the county courthouse and sheriff’s department. The complex has been the bustling hub of Kewaunee County’s law and order for generations. Tucked into a corner of this busy block is a piece of local law enforcement history: the Kewaunee County Jail Museum. For almost a century, the museum building housed the county jail and sheriff’s residence.
Today, Kewaunee Jail Museum proudly displays many artifacts from that extensive past. The museum is also home to other exhibits on local history, with many being built into former jail cells. Even though these cells haven’t greeted new inmates in decades, ghosts of Kewaunee County’s past may haunt the jail museum. Visitors and volunteers alike have reported unexplained encounters in the old jailhouse. Could phantom prisoners still be serving time under spectral sheriffs?
Timeline of Kewaunee Jail Museum's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Kewaunee Jail Museum through the years
1862
The Kewaunee Jail Museum, despite being built almost 150 years ago, was not the community’s first jail. On the same plot of land as the museum, there once stood a wood-frame jail that operated into the 1860s. But, this jailhouse met a grim fate. In 1862, Joe Bushey was arrested for stealing clothes from clotheslines.
He was locked up in the Kewaunee County Jail awaiting trial. Bushey hoped to escape by setting fire to the jail. He successfully torched the jail, and killed himself in the process.
1876
A new jail rose from the ashes in 1876. This new jailhouse, built of stone and brick, proved to be a welcomed step forward for local law enforcement. The sturdy, and now fireproof, jail served the surrounding county well for generations. The building also included a home for the sheriff and their family. It was thought at the time that keeping the sheriff close to their prisoners would boost security.
Additionally, sheriffs’ spouses regularly took on jail duties, like preparing meals for inmates.
1966
By the mid-20th century, the Kewaunee County Jail had long been showing its age. The house was aging fast, and the jail block had long since fallen out of date. Jails sharing property with sheriffs’ homes also had long since fallen out of favor by then. Due to these issues, Kewaunee County was leaning towards closing this old jail.
They decided to follow through in 1966, when a prisoner escaped after beating a guard with the leg of a clawfoot tub. The county closed the antiquated facility in 1969, but the old jailhouse wouldn’t stay empty for long.
1970
In 1970, life returned to the historic stone jail. That year, it reopened as the Kewaunee County Jail Museum. It has operated as a local history center ever since. But along with maintaining a wide array of jail artifacts, the museum may also keep ghosts of inmates and jailers as permanent exhibits.
Many paranormal claims have come out about the jail over the years, from mysterious voices to shifting shadows. While far from death row, it seems some souls may be serving afterlife sentences at the Kewaunee Jail Museum.
Is the Kewaunee Jail Museum Haunted by Joe Bushey?
The most well-known ghost at the Kewaunee Jail Museum is the specter of Joe Bushey. Bushey was the clothes-robber who burned down the original county jail in 1862. His specter now reportedly roams the halls of the replacement lock up. The jail’s cell block is now a hotbed of paranormal activity, with Bushey mostly to blame. Visitors to the cell block often report running into strange and unexplainable cold spots in the area. Others claim to be touched or even grabbed by unseen hands in the jail.
Could this all be the work of Joe Bushey? Some aren’t so sure. The jail block has also been home to two other inmate suicides, one in 1913 and the other in 1958. It remains a mystery whether these two unfortunate souls join in Joe Bushey’s antics.
Does A Ghostly Sheriff Roam Kewaunee Jail’s Halls?
Jail cells aren’t the only place you might find ghosts around the Kewaunee Jail Museum. The former sheriff’s house and offices are also said to be haunted hotspots. Ghostly voices are commonly heard throughout both floors of the old house. Many times, witnesses can hear these voices with their own ears, though they’re often quiet whispers. Others have reported sounds of multiple overlapping conversations coming from empty rooms. Several ghost hunting groups have visited the jail museum in recent years. A few have claimed to record potential EVPs of the jail’s phantom voices. In at least one instance, a voice identified itself as, ‘Emma,’ the name of a former sheriff.
Shadow Figures Haunt this Wisconsin Jail Museum
Unexplained shadowy figures have also been seen at the Kewaunee Jail Museum. No one has yet identified these mysterious apparitions, but whoever they are, they seem to be in a hurry.
Oftentimes, the jail’s shadow figures are only spotted for a split second as they dart from room-to-room, or up and down corridors. Sometimes, even when they’re unseen, these entities’ disembodied footsteps can be heard traversing the halls. Could these be the specters of a sheriff’s family, running around the house getting chores done and keeping the jail running?
Poltergeist Activity in Kewaunee’s Jail
Other kinds of unexplainable activity have become common around the jail museum. Lights that were turned off will suddenly flip back on. Strange taps and knocks on display cases are also a regular occurrence around the museum. Could the owners of these artifacts be trying to get them back?
Paranormal Warm Spots in The Old Sheriff’s Quarters
Another notable oddity in the museum is strange warm spots, where the temperature will inexplicably rise in one defined area. Opposite from the cell block’s cold spots, the upper floor of the sheriff’s house is where you might encounter one of the building’s strange warm spots.
Visit Kewaunee’s Haunted Jail Museum
Today, the Kewaunee County Jail Museum remains a highly regarded historic museum in the northeast Wisconsin area. The museum continually curates new exhibits and artifacts to detail the storied past of Kewaunee County. And while they’re often quite busy with the museum’s operation, some workers and volunteers may still make time to share a ghost story or two.
Formal ghost tours and ghost hunts are not currently offered by the Kewaunee Jail Museum. But, you can still stop in and take a tour through the exhibits yourself, and see what spookiness you run into. Maybe you’ll even have a run-in with Joe Bushey to spark your belief in the unknown.
