In April I wondered if the haunted Florida jail that was for sale and making headlines galore had already sold. I’m talking about the Gilchrist County Jail, which had been hawked as “certifiably haunted.” (Which poses a problem because there is no such thing as “certifiably haunted.”)
Anyway, when I went to check out the listing, I noticed instead of saying “active” it indicated “pending.” Had someone bought it? Would the sale go through? Who would the new owners be and what might they have planned for the property? When I wrote about the possible pending sale, I promised to share any updates if and when I saw them. Well, I saw one.
On Jun 5, 2021, The Gainseville Sun published this headline: “Haunted Gilchrist Jail sold: New owners plan for Airbnb, ghost tours.”
Well, that definitely gives us a glimmer into the jail’s fate. Let’s take a closer look at what we know so far about its new owners and their plans.
Gilchrist County Jail sold to…?
The proud owners of the property where, as Gainseville Sun reporter Emily Mavrakis put it, “multiple murders took place both during its operations from 1928 to 1968 and as recently as 2008,” are Lee and Cheryl Irwin from Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The asking price was $140,000. They paid $117,500.
The paper reported Mrs. Irwin “was drawn to the spooky aspects of its history.” Or, as she put it, “I thought it was really creepy and had a cool backstory.”
That’s the good news: the haunted Gilchrist County Jail was sold to people who appreciate the paranormal.
Which is exactly the kind of buyers the sellers wanted. On their offers, Arlene and Gary Hale asked potential buyers to specify what they planned to do with the purchased jail. Her agent told the reporter, “it was most important to Arlene Hale that the property go to someone who intended to keep its history at the forefront of future plans.”
She didn’t want anyone turning it into a “gimmicky” place or “haunted house with fake scares.”
Looks like the Irwins plan to honor that, as well as let Arlene continue to conduct ghost tours there, which she’s done for the past 10 years. But what else do the Irwins plan to do?
Overnights and Events in the Jail
The Irwins will set to work immediately to convert the jail into an Airbnb. Or at least a portion of it. Their aim is to have it rentable by Halloween.
They’d also like to host a special event in the fall to welcome the community. Perhaps they’ll host other events too?
We’ll have to wait and see. If I can snag an interview with them, you know I’ll be trying for that also. If I do, and as I learn more, I’ll write other follow-up posts.
Hauntings in the Gilchrist County Jail
I’ve never jaunted to the haunted Gilchrist County Jail yet, but some friends who are paranormal investigators have. Such as Soul Sisters Paranormal. They posted a video of their investigation that you can find on their site. Kris Sumner from Soul Sisters said it was an incredibly active location, one of the most active they’ve ever investigated.
What kind of activity is reported there? Everything from disembodied voices to apparitions.
The Irwins said they didn’t see any apparitions while they toured the jail. However, she left a phone recording inside and got an EVP that said, “Get out!”
She also said their fully charged lights experienced battery drain, and she’d felt like she was being watched and not entirely alone. That’s something else people commonly report there.
Check-In
Have you ever stayed in an Airbnb in an allegedly haunted place?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, as well as obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of healing, to learn how she channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I would stay in a haunted Airbnb as long as it didn’t have a dark history. Happy people get sick and die or have tragic accidents. That’s different than a jail where angry, depressed, or violent people were held captive.
This makes complete sense to me!