Location: 2027 Fairmount Ave, Fairmount, Philadelphia, PA Map
Area: 11 acres (45,000 m2)
Constructed: 1829
Closed: 1971
Eastern State Penitentiary is located in the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in United States. Eastern State Penitentiary covers an area of 11 acres (45,000 m2) and was constructed in 1829 under supervision of the architect John Haviland who designed this prison in a Gothic architectural style. The outside wall and its towers look like a medieval European castle. The prison structure inside had a central round tower with seven blocks that radiate in all directions. It is one of the oldest prison in United States. Its design and construction was inspired by a branch of Christianity, known as Quakers. They believed that the best and only way to cure a criminals and outlaws is by providing them with environment that will help them to found God. Quakers believed that compassion must replace the torture and violence of the punishments of the past. They hoped to help people repent for their sins rather than pay for them. In order to achieve that they created a whole vision of a humane penitentiary system.
In the early 19th century these ideas materialized in a prison
with seven blocks that contained rows of solitary cells.
Each
cell had a door that closed rooms shut. On the inside it was
made of iron, on the other side it was made of wood. Prisoners
could not talk and communicate with each other. They were not
even suppose to see each other. The idea that that one rotten
apple could damage others were quiet strong. Inmates were
supposed to look inside themselves and find peace with the Lord.
Other people could harm this process. Even when the inmate would
leave his room he had to put a special mask on his face so that
no one could see each other. Unfortunately designers of the
prison didn't take in consideration that many people went crazy
when they were left by themselves in a concrete bag. Their only
source of light was a skylight in the roof that became known as
"The Eye of God". Some might have turned to Lord, but many more
had less positive outcome. Interestingly the prison was also a
famous tourist destination in the 19th century. People who ran
it considered this structure as a breakthrough in treatment of
criminals. They invited many famous people to take a look at a
future of all penitentiary system or so they though. Famous
visitors included Alexis de Tocqueville and Charles Dickens who
described prisoners as "buried alive".
Eastern State Penitentiary served as an example for over 300 other prisons that were constructed across the country. However by the early 20th century it became clear that the theory was a flawed one and simply didn't work in reality. In 1913 the prison abandoned its solitary system and instead it was turned into a regular prison where people could see each other and freely communicate. It was eventually closed in 1971.
Famous
Chicago gangster Al Capone spent eight months here for being
caught with a concealed weapon. He was placed at the solitary
confinement, but unlike other inmates his room was more
comfortable than others. He was allowed to bring items,
furniture and books that others could not take. Prisoners guards
had a fairly good relationship with a famous head of mobsters.
However during nights Al Capone was haunted by his victims.
Tortured by his past he used to scream. Several witnesses
claimed that the most famous ghost that haunted him was that of
James "Jimmy" Clark also known as Albert Kachellek. He was one
of the victims of the famous Saint Valentine's
Day Massacre that occurred on February 14th, 1929.
James
Clark aka Albert Kachellek
Willie "The Actor" Sutton or simply "Slick Willie" was a famous
bank robber. He became famous for his failed attempt to escape
from the Eastern State Penitentiary. He dug a tunnel with his
accomplices and made it to the sidewalk outside of prison.
Unfortunately for him his plan was foiled and he was returned to
Eastern State.
Eastern State Penitentiary was famous for its cruel treatment of inmates who broke the rules of the prison. Most commonly people were punished for attempting to contact other prisoners. Desperate for any human contact they knocked on walls, pipes, tried to pass notes to each other. One of the worse tortures was striping the man to the so called Mad Chair. A prisoner would be strapped into the chair with leather strips. It was so tight that blood circulation significantly decreased. Unfortunate victim couldn't move for hours. In order to make the condition even worse for the person prison guards would not feed the person or provide any water. Many people would go mad by the time their punishment would end. Hence the chair got its name of a Mad Chair.
Another way to stop any communication between the patients was an Iron Gag. An iron collar was clamed onto a man's tongue. This collar was connected to the wrists of an inmate that in turn were strapped behind his back. Any movement would cause incredible pain and leave deep lacerations in the tongue. Many prisoners died from loss of blood before their punishment came to an end.
The Water bath was one of the worst punishment in the prison. It consisted of dunking a person in an ice cold water. The inmate then was chained to the wall and left in this condition overnight. Their skin would be covered by ice by the next morning. Many died of complications after such cruel treatment.
The Eastern State Penitentiary, designed by John Haviland and
opened on October 25, 1829, is considered the first true
penitentiary in the world. The revolutionary penitentiary system
in the eastern state, called the "Pennsylvania system" or the
segregated system, encouraged solitary confinement as a form of
rehabilitation. By law, a warden was required to visit each
prisoner daily, and guards were required to see each prisoner
three times a day.
At the same time, an alternative to
the Pennsylvania system was the Auburn system (also known as the
New York system), which believed that prisoners should be forced
to work together in silence and could be subjected to physical
punishment (such as Sing-Sing prison). Although the Auburn
system was preferred in the United States, Eastern State's
radial floor plan and solitary confinement system served as a
model for more than 300 prisons around the world.
The
critic and activist John Neale in 1841 expressed his disgust at
the international reputation of "a nation which, only fifty or
sixty years ago, had broken free from all its fetters,
overthrown prisons, palaces, and thrones, in its march to
universal emancipation, already known throughout the earth for
its prisons, its chains, and its signs of slavery."
At
first the prisoners were housed in cells accessible only through
a small yard attached to the rear of the prison; only a small
portal, large enough to transfer food, opened to the cell
blocks. This design proved impractical, and cells were built
during construction that allowed prisoners to enter and exit the
cell blocks through metal doors that were closed with heavy
wooden doors to filter noise. The halls were designed to feel
like a church.
Some believe the door was small, making it
harder for inmates to get out, minimizing the assault on the
officer. Others explained that the small door forced prisoners
to bow when entering the cell. This design is associated with
penance and a connection to the religious inspiration of the
prison. The cells were made of concrete with a single glass
window representing the "Eye of God", hinting to the prisoners
that God was always watching over them.
Outside the cell
was a separate exercise area surrounded by high walls to prevent
inmates from communicating. The training time for each inmate
was synchronized so that no two inmates were next to each other
at the same time. Prisoners were allowed to plant and even keep
pets in their sports yards. When the prisoner left the cell, the
accompanying guard would put a hood over his head so that the
other prisoners would not recognize him.
The cell rooms
were advanced for their time, including a running water faucet
above the flush toilet, and curved pipes along part of one wall
that served as central heating during the winter months, where
hot water ran through the pipes to keep the cells sufficiently
warm. Twice a week, the guards of the cell block flushed the
toilets remotely.
The initial design of the building
included seven single-story cell blocks, but by the time the
third block was completed, the prison was already full. All
subsequent cell blocks had two floors. Towards the end, cell
blocks 14 and 15 were hastily constructed due to overcrowding.
They were built and designed by prisoners. Cell 15 was for the
worst behaved prisoners and security was completely closed from
there.
Prisoners were punished with an "individual
treatment system." At that time, this type of punishment was
considered the most effective. They would be separated from
others.
In 1924, Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot
allegedly sentenced Pep the "Killer Dog" (a real dog) to life in
the Eastern State. Pep allegedly killed the beloved cat of the
governor's wife. Prison records show that Pep was assigned an
inmate number (No. C2559), which can be seen in his photo.
However, the reason for Pep's imprisonment remains a matter of
debate. A contemporary newspaper article reported that the
governor had donated his own dog to the prison to boost the
morale of the inmates.
On April 3, 1945, twelve prisoners
made a great escape (including the infamous Willie Sutton), who
managed to dig an undiscovered 97-foot (30 m) tunnel under the
prison wall during the year. During renovations in the 1930s,
another 30 unfinished tunnels dug by prisoners were discovered.
In 1965, it was recognized as a national historical
monument.
The prison was closed in 1971. Many prisoners
and guards were transferred to Graterford Prison, about 31 miles
(50 km) northwest of Eastern State. The City of Philadelphia
purchased the property with the intention of redeveloping it.
The site had several proposals, including a shopping center and
a luxury apartment complex surrounded by the walls of an old
prison.
During the derelict era (from the closure to the
late 80s), the "forest" grew up in the cell blocks and outside
in the walls. The prison has also become home to many stray
cats.
In 1988, the Eastern State Penitentiary Group
successfully petitioned Mayor Wilson Hood to stop the
renovation. In 1994, Eastern State opened historical tours to
the public.
The solitary confinement system eventually collapsed due to
overcrowding problems. By 1913, Eastern State officially
abandoned solitary confinement and operated as an assembly
prison until it closed in 1970 (Eastern State was briefly used
to house city prisoners in 1971 after the Holmesburg Prison
Riot).
The prison was one of the largest public projects
of the early republic and was a tourist attraction in the 19th
century. Famous visitors included Charles Dickens and Alexis de
Tocqueville, and famous inmates included Willie Sutton and Al
Capone in 1929. Visitors interacted with the prisoners in their
cells, proving that the prisoners were not isolated, although
the prisoners themselves were not allowed to see family or
friends during their stay.
Most of the early inmates were
petty criminals who were incarcerated for various robbery and
theft charges (larceny, pickpocketing, pickpocketing, burglary,
etc.), and first-time offenders often served two years.
The penitentiary was not just to punish, but to push the
criminal to spiritual reflection and change. Although some claim
that the Pennsylvania system was Quaker-inspired, there is
little evidence to support this; the Eastern State's founding
organization, the State Prison Relief Society (now the
Pennsylvania Prison Society), was less than half Quaker, and for
nearly fifty years it was headed by the Anglican bishop of
Philadelphia, William White. Proponents of the system firmly
believed that criminals exposed to silent thoughts about their
behavior and the ugliness of their crimes would become genuinely
remorseful.
In fact, the facility's guards and counselors
developed a variety of physical and psychological torture
schemes for various violations, including dousing inmates with
ice-cold water outside during the winter months, tying their
tongues to their wrists in such a way that struggling with the
chains forces them to tear out their tongues, tying prisoners to
chairs with tight leather restraints for days at a time, while
the worst behaved prisoners are thrown into a pit called The
Hole, an underground cell dug beneath cell 14, where they will
have no light or human contact , and little food for two weeks.
SCI Graterford opened in the 1920s after the Eastern State
Riots; The Pennsylvania Board of Prisons opened Graterford to
perform the functions formerly performed by Eastern State.
Before its closure in late 1969, Eastern State Penitentiary
(then known as State Correctional Institution, Philadelphia)
developed a far-reaching program of group therapy to involve all
inmates. Since 1967, when the plan was launched, the program
appears to have been moderately successful, with many inmates
being involved in groups that were voluntary. An interesting
aspect was that the groups were led by two therapists, one from
mental health or social work staff and the other from prison
service staff.
When the Eastern State Penitentiary, or Cherry Hill as it was
then known, was built in Francisville in 1829 (the idea for this
new penitentiary came from a meeting held at Benjamin Franklin's
house in 1787), it was the largest and the most expensive public
structure in the country. Its architectural significance first
arose in 1821, when British architect John Haviland was selected
to design the building. Haviland found the greatest inspiration
for his penitentiary plan in the prisons and asylums built from
the 1780s onwards in England and Ireland. He gave the prison a
neo-Gothic look to instill fear in those thinking of committing
a crime.
These complexes consist of wings of cells
radiating in the form of a semi- or full circle from a central
tower, from where the prison could be under constant
surveillance. Haviland's penitentiary design became known as the
knot-and-spoke plan, which consisted of an octagonal center
connected by corridors to seven radiating single-story cells,
each containing two rows of large solitary cells—8 × 12 ft. × 10
ft. in height — with hot water heating, a water tap, a toilet
and separate exercise areas the same width as the cell.
The cell wall had rectangular openings through which prisoner
food and work materials could be passed, as well as peepholes so
that guards could observe the prisoners without being seen. To
minimize the possibility of communication between prisoners,
Haviland designed a basic toilet for each cell with separate
pipes leading to a central sewer, which he hoped would prevent
the transmission of messages between adjacent cells.
Despite his efforts, the prisoners were still able to
communicate with each other, and the flushing system had to be
redesigned several times. Haviland noted that he chose the
design to promote "observation, convenience, economy, and
ventilation." After the construction of the prison was completed
in 1836, it could accommodate 450 prisoners.
Haviland
completed the architecture of the Eastern State Penitentiary in
1836. Each chamber was illuminated by only one source of light,
either from skylights or windows, which was considered the
"Window of God" or the "Eye of God". The Church viewed
imprisonment, usually in solitary confinement, as a tool that
could change sinful or disruptive behavior. Time spent in prison
would help inmates reflect on their crimes, giving them a
mission of redemption.
Eastern State Penitentiary operates as a museum and historical
site, open year-round. Guided tours are available, as well as
audio tours (narrated mainly by Steve Buscemi, with former
guards, wardens and inmates). A scavenger hunt is available for
children.
Visitors are allowed into a few specially
marked solitary cells, but most remain off-limits and filled
with original debris and debris from years of neglect. The
Philadelphia skyline can be seen from the jail yard, which still
has the original baseball bat and a chain-link fence atop the
"outer wall," the prison's outer wall, to try to keep home run
balls on the grounds.
In addition, Eastern State hosts
many special events throughout the year. Every July there is a
Bastille Day celebration, complete with a comedic interpretation
of the storming of the Bastille and the throwing of a thousand
delicious dishes from the towers, accompanied by the cry "let
them eat delicious!" from the actor playing Marie Antoinette.
(This Philadelphia tradition sadly ended in 2018.)
About
220,000 visitors visit the museum every year.
Religious
murals in the prison chaplain's office, painted in 1955 by
inmate Lester Smith, remain visible to visitors despite damage
from sunlight.
The tour concludes with an exhibit titled
"Rules Today: Issues in the Age of Mass Incarceration," which
informs guests about the current US prison system and its
shortcomings.
Restoration
The facility was kept in
"reserved ruins," meaning no major repairs or restorations were
made until 1991, when The Pew Charitable Trusts provided funding
to begin stabilization and preservation efforts.
Fundraising and projects
Perimeter Lighting: 2001 saw the
completion of the Perimeter Lighting project, funded by the
Department of Community and Economic Development ($250,000) and
the 2000 Halloween fundraiser ($50,000).
Rotunda and Links
Roofing: In 2002, the Rotunda and Links Roofing project was
funded by the Save America's Treasures Award ($500,000), the
City of Philadelphia ($355,000), Keystone Historic Preservation
($90,000), and the Halloween Fundra ($200,000). 2005) is
complete.
Industrial Building Stabilization: An Industrial
Building Stabilization Project was completed in 2003, funded by
the Eastern State Penitentiary Board of Directors, Senator
Vincent J. Fumo, 2001 Annual Appeal, a grant from the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Penitentiary
Hospital: The Penitentiary Hospital Roof Stabilization Project,
funded by the 2002 Annual Appeal, commenced in 2003 and was
completed in January 2004.
Penitentiary Greenhouse: The
Penitentiary Greenhouse Stabilization Project, funded by the
2004 Annual Appeal, began in 2004 and was completed in April
2005.
Alfred W. Fleischer Memorial Synagogue: In 2006, the
synagogue project began. Named after the prison reformer,
founder and president of the Board of Trustees of the Eastern
State Penitentiary from 1924-1928, the restoration of the Jewish
synagogue was completed in 2009. Funding was led by the
Synagogue Restoration Committee, chaired by Cindy Vanerman, and
included the Suzanne F. and Ralph J. Roberts Foundation, the
Eileen C. and Brian L. Roberts Foundation, the Douglas Alfred
and Diana Bayless Roberts Foundation, the Howard G. and Adele F.
Fleischer, the family of William Portner, and a long list of
others.
Eastern State Penitentiary Solarium, sunlight and
fresh air above the hospital block : The Solarium project began
in 2008, funded mostly by individual donations. Built in 1922
over a tuberculosis hospital, the restoration was important not
only architecturally, but and for the future of cell block 3
below.
Eastern State Penitentiary Kitchen and Bakery: In
2009, a kitchen and bakery roof stabilization project was
initiated and completed, funded primarily by individual donors.
The project will provide protection for several years until
financing can be acquired for a permanent roof.
Death Row,
The Last Cell Block Built : In 2011, assembly began in
preparation for the restoration of the roof and drainage system
of "cell block 15". In fact, no one was executed at the penal
colony.
Operating Room In 2003 and 2004, donors to the 2002
annual appeal made possible temporary repairs to the roof and
drainage system of the operating room and intensive care unit,
which prevented a possible roof collapse. This is a significant
part of the penitentiary, as until its completion in 1910
operations were generally carried out in cell blocks. Between
2009 and 2012, the roof over the solarium and chamber 3 was
rebuilt. Donations were collected from 183 donors for the
$35,000 needed to stabilize and preserve the operating room. The
collected $54,000 made it possible to implement the "History by
hand" program.
In 1996 and 2000, the World Monuments Fund
included the Eastern State Penitentiary on its biennial World
Monuments Watch list of endangered cultural heritage sites.
Terror Beyond the Walls is an annual Halloween haunted house
event hosted by Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc.
(ESPHS). The first Halloween fundraiser was held over Halloween
weekend in 1991. The first events took many forms, including
short theatrical productions and true accounts of prison murders
and violence. In 1997, the event was renamed Terror Beyond the
Walls, becoming an attraction that stuns rather than catches
fire.
In 2001, it was divided into three separate,
smaller haunted attractions, including a 3-D haunted house. At
the time, it was the only three-dimensional haunted house in
southeastern Pennsylvania and one of the first in the United
States. In 2003, four semi-permanent haunted attractions were
built in the penitentiary complex.
The 2014 event
featured six rides: Lock Down, The Machine Shop, Detritus,
Infirmary, The Experiment and Night Watch. The 2016 event also
included six rides: Lock Down: The Uprising, The Machine Shop,
Break Out, Detritus, Infirmary and Quarantine 4-D. The Blood
Yard haunted attraction was added in 2017.
Art exhibits
Ghost Cats – When the prison closed in 1971, a colony of cats
lived inside. As recovery began, the cats were captured and
neutered, leading to their eventual deaths. Artist Linda Brenner
sculpted 39 cat sculptures that surround the house. The
sculptures were purposefully made from a material that slowly
dissolves over time to represent the inevitable natural decay
that all living things face.
End of the Tunnel - Hundreds of
feet of red pipes have been installed by artist Dayton
Castleman, representing escape routes used by prisoners.
Table of Memories – Six dioramas were sculpted by artist Susan
Hagen to represent important moments in the prison's history.
They are scattered around the seventh block of cells.
GTMO -
A replica of a Guantanamo Bay cell was created by artist William
Cromar in one of the cells.
Halfway through another day, a
metal sundial set up to show Michael Grothusen's "passage of
time" in the courtyard of the first cell block.
I've Always
Wanted to Go to Paris, France - Artist Alexa Hoyer installed
three televisions, one in her cell, one in the hallway and one
in the shower room, showing seven decades of prison films. The
title "I've Always Wanted to Go to Paris, France" is taken from
a quote from one of the film's scenes shown in a prisoner's
cell.
Juxtaposition - Brothers Matthew and Jonathan Stemler
split cell #34 in block 11 horizontally. The grid on the ceiling
supports the display of suspended pieces of plaster along one
plane. The ground mica slate laid on the floor softens the step
and enhances the texture of the space, while the bench provides
a better vantage point from which to view and consider the
overall effect of the piece.
My Glass House is an ongoing
project created by artist Judith Taylor by taking black and
white photographs of the natural habitat found within the prison
walls. The prints are then turned into glass, and the missing
glass is replaced in a greenhouse in the courtyard of the first
cell block.
Living Space - Created by Joanna Inman and Anna
Norton, Living Space consists of five videos featuring
time-lapse photographs of how changing weather and lighting
changes at Eastern State Penitentiary. The artists placed their
cameras in the places that make Eastern State Penitentiary
unique, to capture the subtle ways nature plays on the structure
of the building. The goal was to create contemplative
photographs. By allowing the public to see the gradual effects
of time on specific sites, growth and decay are recognized and
explored as components that make Eastern State Penitentiary a
more livable space.
Cleaning Not Done - Mary Jo Bowle's
exhibition explores the history of plumbing in the penitentiary.
The water supply in the building was earlier than in the White
House. The sculptural pieces, made of resin, brass and frosted
glass, are modeled after John Haviland's original plumbing
design for Eastern State Penitentiary. The exhibit includes
views of plumbing from the perspective of those who live or work
in prisons, including inmates, prison guards, and plumbing
manufacturers. In addition, the exhibit showcases both opaque
and translucent sculptures, in which the translucent parts glow
within the cells.
With its ominous appearance, dark atmosphere, and long history,
the Eastern State has been used as a location for ghost
television programs and movies. Paranormal television shows such
as Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters, BuzzFeed Unsolved, and MTV's Fear
have explored the paranormal in Eastern State. Eastern State was
also used in an episode of Cold Case called "The House", which
deals with a murder after a prisoner escapes. For the show, the
prison was renamed the Northern State Penitentiary.
On
June 1, 2007, Most Haunted Live! conducted and broadcast a
paranormal investigation live (a first in the United States)
from the Eastern State Penitentiary for seven continuous hours,
hoping to make contact with supernatural beings. In the
PlayStation 2 game The Suffering, players can find a video
documentary about Eastern State Penitentiary as one of the
inspirations for the game.
At least two music videos were
filmed in Eastern State: On July 29, 1985, Tina Turner filmed
her video for "One of the Living" in an abandoned prison.
Philadelphia punk band The Dead Milkmen's hit "Punk Rock Girl"
included footage of the band in prison as well as driving
through the Fairmount neighborhood.
The eastern state has
also been the location of several feature films. It was used as
a location for a mental hospital in Terry Gilliam's 1995 film
Twelve Monkeys. In the 1998 film Return to Paradise, it was used
as a stand-in for a prison in Malaysia. The 2000 film Animal
Factory, directed by Steve Buscemi, drew heavily on Eastern
State in its depiction of a prison in a state of disrepair. In
June 2008, Paramount Pictures used parts of Eastern State
Penitentiary to film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
In September 2008, History Press released Eastern State
Penitentiary: A History, the only comprehensive history book
currently in print on Eastern State. It was written by Paul
Kahan, a historian and former tour guide, with assistance from
the site's director of education; the book has a foreword
written by a former correctional social worker.
In 2012,
the soundtrack to the film Alpha Girls was recorded at Eastern
State Penitentiary by the band Southwork.
Many people who visited Eastern State Penitentiary claimed to witness paranormal activity. Some people heard sounds, giggling and shouting. Others were pushed, shoved and even kicked by unseen spirits. One of the more famous cases occurred in the Cell Block #4, when a locksmith tried to remove a 140 year old lock. As soon as he opened a door he felt a force that pushed him. He started seeing faces and bodies of people that once lived here.