JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- One of mid-Missouri's fastest growing tourist attractions is a place where nobody wanted to be prior to its closing in 2004 -- the Missouri State Penitentiary.

The Jefferson City News Tribune reported this year 32,811 people visited the old state prison, which first opened in 1836. That number is a 25 percent increase over 2015, and Mayor Carrie Tergin noted that as recently as 2009, just 3,000 people visited the site.

"It's been exciting to see how much the tours have grown in just the last few years," said Diane Gillespie, director of the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau. She cited increased marketing since the city signed a 15-year lease with the state Office of Administration for the old prison. In addition to historical tours, the prison offers tours focused on reports of paranormal activity inside the walls.

"People are so fascinated with prison life, and the paranormal side has really drawn attention to the facility," Gillespie said.

Decommissioned prisons are popular tourist spots around the county. Perhaps the most famous is Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay, which draws about 1 million visitors annually. The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, which closed in 1971, drew 350,000 visitors last year.

Information from: Jefferson City News Tribune, http://www.newstribune.com