Photo Essay: Eastern State Penitentiary (Phila, PA)

The last time I addressed you all with an article concerning this eerie sight, it was late December and we'd gotten there too late to go on a tour.  Before you go on, I highly recommend that you read that article FIRST here: Our Brief Jaunt to Eastern State Penitentiary.  That article will go more into the history and basic info about the prison while here I want to touch more on some of the interesting things I learned on our tour.

Eastern State Penitentiary in the early 1800's before it was surrounded by Philly neighborhoods.

When Eastern State Penitentiary was built, it was ground-breaking in many ways.  First, it loomed large and ominous atop a small hill just outside downtown Philadelphia.  Resembling a medieval castle, it served as a way to reform criminals as well as a way to deter crime.  Most of the city was populated by immigrants from Europe who understood through word-of-mouth what occurred in the dungeons of large castles.  They figured that if they committed a crime, they would be hauled away and tortured for years, possibly even to the death.

One of the main differences between this prison and others being built at the time was the large radial design of the prison that allowed for well-separated cell blocks complete with individual yards behind the cells themselves.  At the beginning of its existence, the prison stressed a completely solitary existence so that prisoners could reflect on their crime and gain a oneness with God.  They were fed through feeder doors and were allowed into their private yards for one hour a day.  When they needed to leave their cells, they wore hoods and were not allowed to communicate with the other prisoners.  They were only allowed to read the Bible and could have no visits or other communication from family members.  This system, of course, reduced the perils of other prisons such as disease, gambling, and violence.  It also provided anonimity as well as the impossibility of escape.  All prisons built in the 19th century were built in the likeness of either New York's Auburn System or the Pennsylvanian System, embodied in the Eastern State Penitentiary.  In fact, more than 300 prisons in Europe, Russia, and Asia were based on its plan.

Eastern State Penitentiary in 1855 before an additional 4 structures were built within its walls.

As we arrived for the tour at Eastern State we were given a glimpse into the lives of the early inmates.  Most inmates served their solitary sentence for only a year or two, at least in the beginning years, but that increased more and more as the crime and the level of violence in crimes escalated. 

Opening to a cell block hallway at the start of our tour.  This is an original cellblock dating to 1829.

As we walked down the hallway in the cell block, we were encouraged to peek into the cells
and listen to accounts of how prisoners led their lives.

I snuck my camera lens between the door and wall of a cell opening and captured this picture
of the interior in a dilapidated cell. The odd cemented doorway in the back originally led to the prisoner's own private "exercise yard", but that was abandoned as the population grew and the space was needed for more cells. 

Once we reached the center of the radial cell block design, I could take a picture through a doorway leading to a different, more dilapidated cell block hallway.

The white, crouching cat on the floor and the one seated on the stairs are an artist's display to honor the cats that lived at Eastern State Penitentiary between its closing in 1971 and until it was transferred for refurbishment in the mid 1990's.

The ceiling is actually falling in overhead:

An inmate's breakfast consisted of coffee, their lunch was a pound of meat with unlimited potatoes, and their dinner was cornmeal mush.  It's been said that prisoners here actually ate better than most on the streets at that time in Philadelphia.  Since this prison was a "reformatory" they felt they needed to be properly nourished if they were to have any real chance at being reformed.  Prisoners also worked at a trade (if they didn't have one when they entered the prison, they learned one while here), the goods from which were sold to help run the prison.  I asked the guide if there were many instances of suicide in a solitary situation where prisoners were given tools.  She answered that because the system was so controversial, many records weren't worded in a way that would lead people to believe that suicides were occurring, but they believe that at least a handful died as the result of suicidal actions.

As we moved to the outside of the prison, we were shown the incredible walls, which provide a half-mile perimeter for the prison.  At each corner there were guard stations that had been added in 1925 after an escape allowed four inmates a taste of freedom.  Of the four, only one was never heard from again (two of them got as far as Honolulu).  Only one other escape was staged, which included bank robber Willie Sutton.  In 1945 those twelve men attempted to dig under the outer wall, which is 30 feet high and continues 10 feet underground.   Of course, this attempt was thwarted and they were returned to the prison population.

A door in the northeast corner of the yard that leads to the northeast tower's guard station.

One such guard station at the top of the southeast corner of the wall.

Eastern State Penitentiary in 1954 before the addition of the Death Row cells in 1956. 

Then we visited the cells in Death Row, which was the last building added to the prison.  Though no one was executed at Eastern State Penitentiary, many prisoners that were on Death Row were housed there temporarily until they could be moved to the prison considered to be their final destination.

Death Row ... all doors were electrically wired and a fence separates between where I was standing and the cells ... I just stuck my lens between a few links.

Then we got to go in and visit Al Capone's cell, which was very interesting.  Al Capone was discovered in a movie theater in Philadelphia when he was arrested in 1929 for a gun charge.  He was sentenced to one year in prison and he spent most of that sentence in relative comfort at Eastern State Penitentiary.  Al feared for his life, believing that a rival mobster could still get into the prison and murder him so rather than being housed in general population he was given a cell in what was called "Park Avenue" by the inmates since the cells were larger.  He was even allowed to furnish his cell with rugs, antiques, oil paintings, and a radio.

Al Capone's cell at Eastern State Penitentiary's "Park Avenue" where he served only 10 months.

Finally, it was time to end the hour-long tour.  We had covered about a mile on our tour but I still felt like there was so much left to be seen!  I was glad we'd joined with a family membership ($50/year which includes a t-shirt, unlimited standard admission, 2 behind-the-scenes private tours, and free tickets for the family to go to Eastern State's Halloween Haunted House - one of the scariest on the East Coast)! 

The walk down the LOOOOOONG hallway to freedom ...

I know many of my Gather friends and commenters have made comments regarding the sad state of the prison.  This is indeed true and very sad.  The site is owned by a non-profit organization that does whatever it can to keep it maintained, but if you could see the size of this place, you would understand how that might be a losing battle.  Many roofs have been replaced to quell water damage and walkways have been repaired to allow for more tours.  As more funds come in, more things will be repaired, but its hard to say if it will ever be refurbished in time to salvage it in its entirety.  My hope is that in sharing this piece with you and in promoting visitation, you'll consider visiting or sharing its existence with friends who might be interested.  As long as people continue to visit and contribute, the site will continue to garner monetary support from government and corporate entities.

For more information on this interesting site or its location, please visit Eastern State Penitentiary and to read its history, you can either use Adobe Acrobat to read its 6-page History or it's complete history in two parts: Volume 1 (294 pages) and Volume 2 (277 pages).  Save them to your hard drive before your next plane trip to the Philadelphia area and read it on the way!

If you do want to visit, a one-hour tour is $12 for adults and $8 for children 7-12 April thru November; the museum downstairs is FREE.  There's a $1 off Coupon located HERE and there are special guided tours scheduled that you can see HERE.  In case there's no way you can visit, there are 360° views available online HERE at their website.

Thanks for checking out my article!!!  You can sure that when special events happen at Eastern State Penitentiary, I will report on them for you (see the 2008 Season Events).