Eastern State Penitentiary facts for kids
The exterior of the Eastern State Penitentiary.
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| Location | 2027 Fairmount Avenue Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Coordinates | 39°58′6″N 75°10′21″W / 39.96833°N 75.17250°W |
| Status | Closed (now a museum) |
| Population | ~400 prisoners (from 1829 to 1877) |
| Opened | 1829 |
| Closed | 1971 |
| Warden | Samuel R. Wood (1829-40) Robert McKenty (1908-1923) |
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Eastern State Penitentiary
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| Area | 11 acres (45,000 m2) |
| Built | 1829 |
| Architect | John Haviland |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000680 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | June 23, 1965 |
The Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) is a famous former prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It operated from 1829 until 1971. This prison was special because it used a new system called "separate incarceration." This system focused on helping prisoners change their ways, rather than just punishing them.
Many well-known criminals, like Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton, were held here. The prison's unique design, shaped like a wagon wheel, became a model for over 300 prisons around the world. When it was finished, it was the largest and most expensive public building in the United States.
Today, Eastern State Penitentiary is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. It is open to the public as a museum, where visitors can take tours every day.
Contents
History of Eastern State Penitentiary
Building a New Kind of Prison
Eastern State Penitentiary was first called Cherry Hill State Prison. It was built on a 10-acre farm area near Philadelphia. Construction started in 1822.
The prison was designed by John Haviland and opened on October 25, 1829. It is known as the world's first true "penitentiary." It had seven long hallways with cells that were heated and had skylights. It could hold 500 prisoners.
Eastern State's new system, called the "Pennsylvania system," focused on keeping prisoners separate. The idea was that being alone would help them think about their actions and become better people. The warden had to visit every prisoner daily, and guards had to check on them three times a day.
Another system, the "Auburn system," was used in other prisons like Sing Sing. It made prisoners work together in silence and allowed physical punishment. Even though the Auburn system was more popular in the U.S., Eastern State's design influenced many prisons worldwide.
Life Inside the Cells
The cells were designed to feel like a church. Some people believe the cell doors were small to make prisoners bow when entering, showing humility. Each cell had a single glass skylight, which was called the "Eye of God." This was meant to remind prisoners that God was always watching them.
Outside each cell was a private exercise yard with high walls. This kept prisoners from talking to each other. Prisoners had their exercise time scheduled so no two neighbors were out at the same time. They could even garden or keep pets in their yards. When a prisoner left their cell, a guard would put a hood over their head. This prevented them from seeing or recognizing other prisoners.
The cells were very modern for their time. They had running water, a flush toilet, and central heating pipes. Guards would flush the toilets twice a week from a central system.
The prison was originally planned with one-story cell blocks. But it quickly became too crowded. So, later cell blocks were built with two floors. The last two cell blocks, 14 and 15, were built quickly by prisoners themselves because of severe overcrowding. Cell block 15 was for prisoners who caused the most trouble.
The "individual-treatment system" meant prisoners were kept separate from others. This was thought to be the most effective way to help them change. However, the system also included very strict rules and punishments for those who broke them.
Famous Inmates and Events
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In 1924, a dog named Pep "The Cat-Murdering Dog" was supposedly sentenced to life at Eastern State. The story says he killed the governor's wife's cat. Pep even had an inmate number, C2559! However, newspaper reports from that time suggest the governor actually donated Pep to the prison to cheer up the inmates.
On April 3, 1945, twelve prisoners, including the famous Willie Sutton, escaped. They had spent a year digging a 97-foot (30-meter) tunnel under the prison wall. Later, during renovations, 30 more unfinished tunnels dug by inmates were found!
The prison was named a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
Closing and Becoming a Museum
The solitary confinement system eventually stopped working because the prison became too crowded. By 1913, Eastern State officially ended the solitary system. It then operated like a regular prison until it closed in 1971. Many prisoners and guards moved to Graterford Prison.
After it closed, the city of Philadelphia bought the property. There were ideas to turn it into a mall or apartments. But for many years, it was abandoned. A "forest" grew inside the cell blocks, and many stray cats made it their home.
In 1988, a group called the Eastern State Penitentiary Task Force convinced the mayor to stop redevelopment plans. In 1994, Eastern State opened to the public for history tours.
Eastern State was one of the biggest public building projects of its time. It was even a tourist spot in the 1800s. Famous visitors included Charles Dickens. Later, famous inmates like Willie Sutton and Al Capone were held there in 1929. Visitors could talk to prisoners in their cells, but prisoners were not allowed visits from family or friends.
The prison was meant to help criminals reflect on their actions and change. People believed that silence would make prisoners truly "penitent" (sorry for their crimes).
Prison Design and Architecture
When Eastern State Penitentiary was built in 1829, it was the largest and most expensive public building in the country. British architect John Haviland designed it. He got many ideas from prisons in England and Ireland. He gave the prison a Gothic Revival look to make people fear committing crimes.
Haviland's design is known as the "hub-and-spoke" plan. It had an octagonal (eight-sided) center connected by hallways to seven cell blocks. Each cell was large, about 8 by 12 feet and 10 feet high. They had hot water heating, a water tap, a toilet, and a private exercise yard.
Small openings in the cell walls allowed food and work materials to be passed to prisoners. There were also peepholes for guards to watch prisoners without being seen. Haviland designed a special flushing toilet system for each cell to prevent prisoners from sending messages to each other. However, prisoners still found ways to communicate, and the flushing system had to be changed several times.
Haviland said he chose this design for "watching, convenience, economy, and ventilation." By 1836, the prison could hold 450 prisoners.
Each cell had light from a single skylight or window. This was often called the "Window of God" or "Eye of God." The idea was that time spent alone would help inmates think about their crimes and seek redemption.
Eastern State Penitentiary Today
Today, Eastern State Penitentiary is a museum and historic site open all year. You can take guided tours or use self-guided audio tours. The audio tour is narrated by Steve Buscemi, along with former guards, wardens, and prisoners. There's even a scavenger hunt for children!
Visitors can enter some solitary confinement cells. However, most cells are still closed off and filled with old rubble from years of being abandoned. From the prison courtyard, you can see the Philadelphia skyline. The courtyard still has its original baseball backstop.
Eastern State also hosts many special events. For example, every July, there was a Bastille Day celebration. It included a funny show about storming the Bastille and throwing thousands of Tastykakes from the towers. This tradition ended in 2018.
About 220,000 people visit the museum each year.
Religious murals painted in 1955 by inmate Lester Smith are still visible in the prison chaplain's office. They have some damage from sunlight.
The tour ends with an exhibit called "Prisons Today: Questions in the Age of Mass Incarceration." This exhibit teaches visitors about the current U.S. prison system and its challenges.
Preserving the Ruins
The facility was kept in a state of "preserved ruin" for many years. This means no major repairs were done, but efforts were made to keep it from falling apart completely. In 1991, funding helped start stabilization and preservation work.
Many projects have helped preserve the prison:
- Perimeter Lighting: New lights around the outside of the prison were added in 2001.
- Rotunda and Links Roofing: The roofs over the central rotunda and connecting hallways were repaired in 2002.
- Industrial Building Stabilization: Work to make the industrial building safe was finished in 2003.
- The Penitentiary Hospital: The hospital roof was repaired in 2004.
- The Penitentiary Greenhouse: The greenhouse was stabilized in 2005.
- Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue: The Jewish Synagogue was restored and completed in 2009.
- Eastern State Penitentiary's Solarium: Restoration of the solarium, built in 1922 above the hospital, began in 2008.
- Eastern State Penitentiary's Kitchen and Bakery: The roof of the kitchen and bakery was repaired in 2009.
- Death Row, The Last Cell block Built: Work began in 2011 to restore the roof and drainage system of "cellblock 15." It's important to know that no one was ever put to death at this prison.
- Operating Room Repairs were made to the operating room roof between 2003 and 2004. Before 1910, operations were often done in the cell blocks. More work was done between 2009 and 2012.
The World Monuments Fund listed Eastern State Penitentiary on its "Most Endangered" cultural heritage sites list in 1996 and 2000.
Halloween Nights Event
"Halloween Nights" is an annual haunted house event held at Eastern State Penitentiary. It used to be called "Terror Behind the Walls." The first Halloween fundraiser happened in 1991.
Over the years, the event grew. By 1997, it became a scary walkthrough haunted attraction. In 2001, it split into three smaller haunted attractions, including one with 3-D effects. By 2003, four permanent haunted attractions were built inside the prison.
The event in 2014 had six attractions, and in 2016, it also had six. A new haunted attraction called Blood Yard was added in 2017.
Art Exhibits at the Prison
Many artists have created special exhibits at Eastern State Penitentiary:
- Ghost Cats – Artist Linda Brenner made 39 cat sculptures. They represent the stray cats that lived in the prison after it closed. The sculptures slowly disappear over time.
- The End of the Tunnel – Dayton Castleman installed red pipes to show escape routes used by prisoners.
- Recollection Tableaux – Susan Hagen created six small scenes (dioramas) showing important moments in the prison's history. They are in cell block seven.
- GTMO – William Cromar built a replica of a Guantanamo Bay detention camp cell inside one of the prison cells.
- Midway of Another Day – Michael Grothusen placed a metal sundial in the courtyard of cell block one to show "the passing of time."
- I always wanted to go to Paris, France – Alexa Hoyer set up three TVs showing prison films from different decades. The title comes from a quote in one of the films.
- Juxtaposition – Brothers Matthew and Jonathan Stemler divided cell #34. They hung plaster pieces from the ceiling and poured mica schist on the floor.
- My Glass House – Judith Taylor takes black and white photos of nature found in the prison walls. She turns these prints into glass and uses them to replace missing glass in the greenhouse.
- Living Space – Johanna Inman and Anna Norton created five videos. They show how Eastern State Penitentiary changes with weather and light.
- Purge Incomplete – Mary Jo Bole's exhibit explores the prison's plumbing history. It had running water before the White House! Her sculptures show the plumbing from different viewpoints.
See also
