Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia (History museums) — Fig. 01Eastern State Penitentiary© Davidt8 · Public domain

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About Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is a former prison that operated from 1829 to 1971 and now serves as a museum. Designed by John Haviland, the building resembles a medieval castle from the outside and was laid out with cell blocks radiating from a central hub to make surveillance easier. At the heart of its reform-minded concept was strict solitary confinement, in which inmates were cut off from the outside world and from other prisoners by thick walls. Famous inmates such as Al Capone left their mark here, and his cell has been reconstructed. Today you can tour the historic cells from various construction phases, some of which still look dilapidated, as well as a modern cell in the style of Guantánamo Bay. The site is open from April to November and is considered an important historic landmark.

Based on the article “Eastern State Penitentiary” from the German Wikipedia, summarized and rephrased by a language modelLicense CC BY-SA 4.0

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At a glance

Category: Museum › History museums
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Address: 2027 Fairmount Ave
19130-2610 Philadelphia, USA
District: North Philadelphia
Phone: +12152363300
Website: www.easternstate.org
Email: info@easternstate.org
Coordinates: 39.96833° N · -75.17267° E
Data quality: confidence 0.94
Identifier: ID 3c5c4b34-5f9…

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Location & surroundings

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Travel tip from Wikivoyagewritten by travelers
A former prison and National Historic Landmark, which once housed notorious criminals like bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone (the former tunneled out), and drew famous visitors like Charles Dickens and Alexis de Tocqueville. It was a progressive institution upon its founding, dedicated to reform, rather than punishment, and the principal new method used to enable the reform process (dubbed the Pennsylvania System ) was to keep prisoners in separate confinement (it was then debated whether this would help lead to reform or to mental illness). Today it is open for guided tours by day, and by night around the month of October turns into what has got to be one of the country's most terrifying haunted houses! Children below the age of seven are not permitted to visit, and it's strongly recommended that no children under 13 attend the haunted house.
Source: Wikivoyage, „Philadelphia/North“ · authors per page history · CC BY-SA 4.0
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