Eastern State Penitentiary located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a lost world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. This gothic structure, with soaring 30-foot high fortress walls, is intimidating enough during the day. At night, the cellblocks fall into darkness, and the building becomes truly terrifying.
Eastern State pioneered a distinctive radial plan. The architectural design resembles a wagon wheel from above, with a central rotunda and cell blocks radiating outward like spokes. In this system, one “all-seeing” guard standing in the center could monitor every corridor. The panoptic design, created by architect John Haviland, set the standard for over 300 other prisons and asylums worldwide.
Haviland’s panoptic design was hailed as a breakthrough success with the Pennsylvania prison system of surveillance and solitary confinement earning rave reviews like an 1835 state report that commended it as “identified with our national honor and reputation.” The design commanded “admiration of the whole civilized world,” the report gushed.
During its operational years as a prison (1829-1971), the penitentiary was home to several infamous inmates. Its most well-known prisoner was Al Capone, America’s most famous mobster, who was sentenced to eight months at Eastern State from 1929-1930. His cell in the prison is still on display and is said to have had fine furniture, oriental rugs, and even a personal radio.
Another famous prisoner was bank robber “Slick” Willie Sutton, who spent 11 years at Eastern State. In 1945, he was one of 12 prisoners who escaped the prison via an underground tunnel that stretched for nearly 100 feet; he and his fellow escapees were recaptured within hours.
Since its closure visitors, employees and those researching paranormal activity have reportedly heard unexplained eerie sounds throughout the prison.
- The Locksmith
One major paranormal episode reported occurred to a locksmith doing restoration work in Cell Block #4. According to the tale, he was working to remove a 140-year-old lock from the cell door when a massive force overcame him so powerfully he was unable to move.Some believe when he removed the key it opened a gateway to the horrific past and offered the spirits caught behind its bars a pathway out. The man spoke of experiencing an out-of-body state as he was drawn toward the negative energy which burst through the cell.Anguished faces appeared on the cell wall, hundreds of distorted forms swirled around the cellblock and one dominating form seemed to beckon the locksmith to him. The man’s experience was so vivid, years after he would shudder in fear when he talked about it.
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Read more here: https://whyy.org/articles/history-behind-the-walls-how-philadelphias-most-famous-haunted-house-began/
