Tom was given a made-up title of “Groundskeeper.” I met Tom and verified his actual title is Internal Coordinator with the Moundsville Economic Development Council.

For whatever reason, it appears someone involved in the making of Paranormal State’s “Darkness Falls” episode made-up the title “Groundskeeper” for Tom. Tom Stiles is the Internal Coordinator for the Moundsville Economic Development Council, and works inside the Former West Virginia Penitentiary.

Tom Stiles’ actual title is Internal Coordinator for the Moundsville Economic Development Council. He works inside the Former West Virginia Penitentiary. But for some reason(s?), he appears in “Darkness Falls” with the made-up title of “Groundskeeper.”

Various episodes of Paranormal State contain errors, including but not limited to: misspelling a client’s name in the pilot episode, making up a fictitious name for a town, gave three wrong ages of a murdered girl even though Ryan saw her gravestone, and misspelled the last name for an “Optical analyst/expert.” I’ll include a more complete list at some time in the future with additional errors. So you might want to question the accuracy of what’s presented on Paranormal State.

Again, Tom Stiles is the Internal Coordinator for the Moundsville Economic Development Council.

First published: 30 November 2010
Written by: Ernie Marsh

I graciously thank Paul Kirby, Manager of the Moundsville Economic Development Council, for granting me access to the Former West Virginia Penitentiary so I could research the architectural element on the fourth floor of the Warden’s Tower.

And I thank Tom Stiles, Internal Coordinator for the Moundsville Economic Development Council, who patiently stood by while I took a look at the architectural element.

1. Screenshot from Paranormal State
“Darkness Falls” (captioning as it appeared)
1st example showing made-up title “Groundskeeper”
Appears at approximately 6 minutes 39 seconds.

2. Screenshot from Paranormal State
“Darkness Falls” (captioning as it appeared)
2nd example showing made-up “Groundskeeper” title
Appears at approximately 27 minutes 30 seconds.

Tom Stiles, Internal Coordinator

Moundsville Economic Development Council
for the Former West Virginia Penitentiary

This image capture is from video I shot as Tom began to take me to the the fourth floor of the Warden’s Tower so I could research the architectural element presented as an inverted pentagram in “Darkness Falls.”

X MADE-UP TITLE: “GROUNDSKEEPER”

✔ TOM’S ACTUAL TITLE: INTERNAL COORDINATOR

Ernie Marsh/ParanormalStateIllustrated.com


I went to the Former West Virginia Penitentiary to research what was referred to in the “Darkness Falls” episode as an inverted pentagram. Tom Stiles works inside the Former West Virginia Penitentiary, and is employed by the Moundsville Economic Development Council (MEDC) as the Internal Coordinator. He took me to see the architectural element and stayed with me while I scrutinized the piece along with a professional woodworker I brought along.

Tom and I had a chance to talk, and he is in charge of tourism at the former prison. I don’t know how he ended up in the episode with the title of “Groundskeeper.” Tom is in charge of historic tours, night tours, ghost hunts, as well as each year’s haunted house known as the Dungeon of Horrors.

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