File photo of the Bastille.

The City of Hanford will host a free public watch party of the hit Warner Bros. Discovery show “Ghost Hunters,” on Thursday night, featuring local haunt and former Kings County jail, the Bastille in its season premiere.

The event will take place in front of the old Courthouse next to Civic Park located at 400 N. Douty St. at 9 p.m. just up the street from the Bastille.

The episode titled “Dead Man Walking” features the Bastille which has a long history of capturing the imagination and suspicion of Valley residents surrounding its paranormal activity.

The Ghost Hunter team hopes to investigate the decades of suffering and several tragic deaths that have taken place over the years and during the Bastille’s time as a jail.

Last September, the Ghost Hunters team filmed the episode, interviewing locals including Hanford Building Superintendent Randy Shaw.

“Randy’s kind of a historical hobbyist and he cares a lot about Hanford,” said Hanford Parks and Community Services Director Brad Albert. “When the Ghost Hunters came into my town, it’s my understanding that it was a very active few days, and they were very impressed with what they saw inside the Bastille.”

City crews will illuminate the Bastille with LED lights during the screening of the season premiere, adding to the spooky atmosphere the Ghost Hunters season premiere encourages.

Albert recommends those attending to bring lawn chairs and blankets, hoping those in attendance feel a sense of community pride during the premiere.

“Hanford cares deeply about its history and its past,” Albert said. “Stories that are handed down are very important to carry from generation to generation to generation.”

The Bastille served as Kings County’s jail from its construction in 1896 until 1964, and later saw use as the home of the Kings County Museum of Art, a restaurant and most recently, a nightclub. It has long been rumored to be haunted by no fewer than three spirits including Mary, the ghost of a female inmate who hanged herself in the upstairs portion of the jail, according to a 2021 article published by the Hanford Sentinel.