 |
Eastern State Penitentiary - courtesy of Eastern St. Penitentiary Historic Site
Opened in 1829 as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor," Eastern State Penitentiary quickly became one of the most expensive and most copied buildings in the young United States. It is estimated that more than 300 prisons worldwide are based on the Penitentiary's wagon-wheel, or "radial" floor plan. Some of America's most notorious criminals were held in the Penitentiary's vaulted, sky-lit cells, including bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone. After 142 years of consecutive use, Eastern State Penitentiary was completely abandoned in 1971, and now stands, a lost world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers.
History
1958 - The City of Philadelphia certifies Eastern State Penitentiary an historic property.
1961- Inmate John Klausenberg tricks a guard into opening the cell of another inmate. With the cells open, the inmates overpower the guard and begin the largest riot in the prison's history. Several hours later, a large force of police, guards, and state troopers reclaim the prison. The riot fuels discussions to close Eastern State.
|
1965 - Federal Government designates Eastern State Penitentiary a National Historic Landmark.
1970 January - Eastern State Penitentiary closes. Most inmates are sent to the State Correctional Institution at Graterford. While the Penitentiary's electrical and mechancial systems are in terrible shape, its walls and paint are in perfect condition.
1971 to mid-1980s
Eastern State is all but totally abandoned. Philadelphia Streets Department uses grounds for storage. Vandals smash skylights and windows. An urban forest grows in the halls and cells. Dan McCloud, the last city caretaker, continues to feed a family of stray cats on the property.
1991
With generous funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts, stabilization and preservation efforts begin.
The first Halloween fundraiser takes place on Halloween night to raise money to create a daytime tour program. A few hundred people attended that first year. Since then, a Halloween fundraiser has been held at the penitentiary each fall and attendance increased each subsequent year. Today, Terror Behind the Walls is one of the largest and most successful haunted attractions in the county. |
|
 |
1994 - Eastern State Penitentiary opens for historic tours on a daily basis. More than 10,000 visitors attend in the first year.
1998 - Eastern State portrays a Southeast Asian prison in the movie Return to Paradise.
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc., a nonprofit organization with the sole purpose of preserving the Penitentiary and opening it for tours, is formed. Work begins on the second major roofing project, which placed a new structure over the existing Cellblock 1 roof, skylights and exercise yard areas. The new roof has twenty-five year EPDM roofing.
2000 - April: The cell of famous gangster Alphonse "Scarface" Capone, who spent eight months at Eastern State in 1929, is restored to its former glory (left).
2000 - November: The reconstruction of the Cellblock 1 is complete, making the entire cellblock available for tours. For the first time, attendance exceeds 50,000 visitors in a single year.
2007 - Eastern State Penitentiary expands its operating schedule by offering two new tour programs: Summer Twilight Tours were offered Wednesday evenings during the months of June, July and August and Winter Adventure Tours kept the penitentiary open for the first time during the months of December, January, February and March. With the addition of Winter Adventure Tours, Eastern State Penitentiary is now open seven days a week, twelve months a year. |
REAL GHOST SIGHTINGS
Many people believe that Eastern State Penitentiary is haunted. As early as the 1940s, officers and inmates reported mysterious visions and eerie experiences in the ancient prison. And the ghost sightings have only increased since Eastern State was abandoned in 1971.
With the growing interest in paranormal investigation, Eastern State Penitentiary may now be the most carefully studied building in the United States. Dozens of teams visit to explore the site each year.
For more information, please visit the Eastern State Penitentiary Historical website. |
|
