Welcome back to the PA abandoned places bucket list! This week, we’re going to talk about the Eastern State Penitentiary, an abandoned prison located in Philadelphia.

Formally the Walnut Street Jail, which was constructed in 1776, the building that was later modified to become the abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary was used to house overflow inmates from the Philadelphia Old Stone Jail.

Then, in 1821, the plan to build the Penitentiary was approved after much lobbying by the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. This group was the first prison reform group in the world, and one of its most notable members was Benjamin Franklin.

The plans for the Penitentiary detailed the construction of a prison that would house 250 inmates. The crime prevention strategy employed by the prison, called the Pennsylvania System, stressed the influence of environment on the likelihood that one will commit crime.

Because of this belief, the prisoners kept in the Eastern State Penitentiary were subjected to constant solitary confinement in the hopes that a lack of external stimulation would encourage repentance, and therefore “cure” the inmates’ criminality.

With the Pennsylvania System in mind, the prison cells were designed so that inmates would not be able to see or hear each other at any point. Each individual cell contained one of the earliest forms of flushable toilets and a skylight to serve as the “eye of God,” which was meant to instill pious behavior in the inmates.

On October 25th of 1829, the Penitentiary opened and received its first inmate, a man by the name of Charles Williams who was incarcerated for burglary.

Before closing in January of 1970, the Eastern State Penitentiary made a name for itself for its harsh discipline and fear instilling gothic architecture. It also is well known for some of its infamous inmates.

Most notably, Alphonse “Scarface” Capone served his first prison sentence in the prison from 1929 to 1930 for possession of a concealed deadly weapon.

Today, visitors can go on guided tours throughout the abandoned prison. The tourist attraction offers daytime and nighttime tours, as well as a special Halloween event called Terror Behind the Walls. This frightening experience, comparable to Field of Screams for those familiar, is a nod to the many tales of ghosts of past inmates that still haunt the Penitentiary.

With its rich history and significant impact on the development of modern prison systems we know today, the Eastern State Penitentiary is a must visit location for anyone interested in abandoned sites!

 

Works Cited

“Eastern State Penitentiary.” Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, www.easternstate.org/.