Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia

As i was planning my Philadelphia trip i didn't know there was an old penitentiary. I was browsing through the google map till a structure caught my eye, it was the Easter Sate Penitentiary. The architecture is extraordinary, I've never seen anything like it. So i decided i'll include it in the itinerary. I was not disappointed, turns out to be the star of my trip

it is considered to be the world's first true penitentiary

from the front it looks like an old castle

entrance fee is $14/ adult, $12/ senior, $10/kid

kids age under 7 is not recommended

we are in, entrance fee includes an audio guide. I was surprise that the main narrator for the audio guide is Steve Buscemi

Eastern State Penitentiary was designed to inspire true regret in the heart of prisoners

it was opened on Oct 25, 1892

inmates were brought in to their cells, that could only be accessed by entering through a small exercise yard attached to the back of the prison

the solitary confinement system eventually collapsed due to overcrowding problems. By 1912, Easter Sate officially abandoned the solitary system and operated as a congregate prison until it closed in 1970

only a small portal, just large enough to pass meals opened onto the cell blocks

 This design proved impractical and in the middle of construction, cells were constructed that allowed prisoners to enter and leave the cell blocks through metal door that were covered by a heavy wooden door to filter out noise, on duty guards are also required to wear show mitten for total silent

some believe that the door were small so prisoners would have hard time getting out, minimizing an attack on the guard, Others have explained the small doors forced the prisoners to bow while entering their cell. This design is related to penance and ties to the religious inspiration of the prison

cells were made of concrete with a single glass skylight, representing the "Eye of God", suggesting to the prisoners that God was always watching them 

reached the center(surveillance hub)

as u stand at the very center of this surveillance hub one can see almost every cell blocks

and there are 15 cell blocks in total

The original design of the building was for 7 single story cell blocks, but by the time cell block was completed, the prison was already over capacity, All subsequent cell blocks has 2 floors, Toward the end, cell block 14 and 15 were hastily built due to overcrowding. They were built and designed by prisoners. Cell block 15 was for the worst behaved prisoners(death row), and the guards were gated off from there entirely.

the original plan of Easter State Penitentiary,

this was what caught my eye on google map

and only half of the cell blocks are open for public

a metal plate to commemorate those inmates of the Easter State Penitentiary of Pennsylvania who served in the army and navy. died for his county 

cell clock 11 , 2 &10

Barbershop, almost every cell block at Easter State Penitentiary had an inmate barbershop in the 20th century. The barbershop became a natural place for inmates to gather and socialize

Cell block 7, i like this staircase area

upper part of cell block 7

ground floor cell block 7

yes, there is also Female prisoners too in this Penitentiary.

Most of the female prisoners were never photographed. The 1st female prisoner arrived  in 1831 but mug shots were not introduced until ca. 1904

 

Cell block 4

it's quite eerie here. 

Many people have reported seeing a silhouette of a guard in one of the towers. Footsteps, wails. whispers.

this is on a good day with lots of sun light.....rainy day must be really dark back in the days when there is no electricity

surveillance tower

US rate of  Incarceration over few decades

Number of People in prison all over the world  per 100,000 citizen

US has the highest rate with 730

i'm surprise that Malaysia only has 134 lower than Singapore with 237

courtyard, where the prisoners do their exercise 

Cell block 3

Operating room

meet " Pep"

"The cat murdering Dog" Pennsylvanian Governor allegedly sentenced Pep to a life sentence at Easter State in 1924. Newspaper reported that Pep murdered the governor's wife cat

Pep was assigned an inmate number (no. C-2559)

Synagogue in Eastern State

Catholic Chaplain's office

Cell block 8 with Al Capone's Cell, yes he was 

This is his luxurious cell

Alphonse " Scareface" Capone was arrested in 1929 outside a Movie theater for carrying a concealed, unlicensed 38 caliber revolver.

He was sentence the maximum of one year in prison. Capone served 7 months in this cell. But while the Philadelphia courts tried to make an example of Capone, the official at Easter State Penitentiary were nothing if not generous. They allowed him comfort not typical granted to inmates , including fine furniture, oil panting and a fancy radio. He likes to listen to waltzes in his cell

Cell block 8

in 1945, 2 prisoners of this cell dug into the wall of their cell 15ft down.

by April 3 1945, the tunnel was complete, 10 other inmates joined the escapes on the way to breakfast.

the 12 inmates escaped and scattered in the neighborhood. However all the escapes inmates were eventually recaptured except for one James Grace returned to the penitentiary early morning on April 11 rang the doorbell, and asked to be let back in. He was hungry.

Prison staff filled the tunnel with ash

artist installation in one of the cell

Cell block 9

and that is the end of the tour

it takes us 2 hours to visit this facility

and i love it, i think its better than Alcatraz

Highly recommended this place if anyone is ever in Philadelphia. Don't missed it.

from there brochure it says that, from Sept 16 to Nov 5, they are open in the evening for "one of America's scariest Halloween Attractions. A massive haunted house in real prison...... omg even during day time, it's scary enough. This even it's sick!!!! 

~ see you in Halloween?~