Eastern State Penitentiary - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 58.051 W 075° 10.359
18S E 485255 N 4424166
This is a great place to visit, especially during Halloween. Eastern State Penitentiary was the largest building in America when it opened in 1829. Its grounds still cover a dozen acres; its 30-foot-high walls extend for nearly a mile.
Waymark Code: WM6PK1
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/02/2009
Views: 10
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former state prison in the United States. It is located on Fairmount Avenue between 21st and 22nd Streets in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 5 blocks north of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. it is also on the NRHP. I had the opportunity to visit a few years ago for their "Terror Behind the Wall" attraction for Halloween. Very Spooky! Also, they discovered a synagogue which I learned about during a recent breakfast I had with a Men's Club of which I am a member. it is newly restored for 2009 and there are pictures on their website. Just Google in the attraction name and it is the first listing. T he synagogue and exhibit is open for a special guided tour. Space is limited and subject to availability.
Eastern State opened in 1829. Unlike earlier prisons in which criminals — regardless of offense, age or gender — were herded into large holding pens, Eastern State was based upon Quaker ideas of redemption through isolation and labor. The theory was that left alone to contemplate the errors of their ways without distraction from other prisoners or the outside world, inmates would become truly penitent — hence the name of the new prison model.
Architect John Haviland's original seven-wing design radiating from a central surveillance hub represents the advent of modern architecture in America. Each prisoner had his own centrally heated cell with running water, flush toilet and skylight, plus an adjacent private exercise yard. This “machine for reform” proved so revolutionary that both the building's design and the Pennsylvania System (as it came to be known) served as the model for hundreds of prisons around the world.
Eastern State Penitentiary operated for more than 140 years until it was finally abandoned in 1971. Today the site is preserved as a historic site and maintained through the money it makes from tours and Halloween and other events.
Hours of Operation
April through November:
Open Every Day,
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.A
Last Entry: 4 p.m.