The shadow on the jail

North Carolina · United States · Execution site

He said that if they executed him he would come back. His shadow appeared on the wall of the jail, swinging. They painted over it.

A man was hanged at the old jail in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. He maintained his innocence throughout, and said that if they went through with it he would come back and haunt the town.

After the execution his shadow appeared on the side of the jail, swinging back and forth.

The town painted the wall to get rid of it. It did not work.

A stain that will not take paint is the most testable claim in this archive and one of the oldest forms of story there is. Marks that resist covering appear in accounts across Europe and North America, and they usually turn out to be mineral salts, damp, or a difference in the surface underneath.

That explanation has never yet stopped anybody repainting.

What the story preserves is a man insisting he was innocent, in a town that hanged him anyway, and the town not being able to paint him out.

The old jail is a local landmark.

FAQ

Where is The shadow on the jail located?

The shadow on the jail is in North Carolina, United States.