Designed in 1821 by Philadelphia architect John Haviland, opened in 1829, completed in 1836 Eastern State Penitentiary was the forerunner of the Pennsylvania System. The Pennsylvania System was a concept of rehabilitation through discipline. The idea was that through solitude, work, and penance the prisoners would be able to reform themselves. In the early stages of Eastern State prisoners had no contact with other inmates, and as little contact with other humans as possible. They were fed through small “feed doors” and allowed in small exercise yards attached to their cells. Prisoners were locked in their cells all but a 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening, in which time they were allowed to use their exercise yards. The cells contained a toilet, a table (workstation), a bed and a bible. Prisoners were brought to their cells with hoods over their heads so that the only thing they would see during their stay at eastern was the four walls of their cell. The only light entering the cell was from a small round window in the ceiling called the “Eye of God.” The idea behind the window was that the round beam of light cast through the window would serve as a reminder that God is always watching. Silence was observed at all times, and any inmate found making excessive noise such as whistling or talking, even if to themselves, was punished. Guards wore wool socks over their shoes so they would be able to tread silently throughout the halls. The carts used in the prison had leather wrapped around their wheels so they would roll without noise.

           Upon its inception the penitentiary was to hold 250 inmates. The Building itself was the most expensive to build in America in its day, costing $772,600. It was also the first on its scale to have indoor plumbing and centralized heat. Its first prisoner, admitted on October 25 1829 and assigned prisoner number 1, was an 18 year old burglar, Charles Williams, sentenced to two years confinement with labor.

            In 1831 work on cell block Three, the last single story cell block was completed. Blocks Four, Five, Six, and Seven all would be two stories high to deal with an increasing number of inmates. The change from one to two stories also deprived the inmates having their own solitary outdoor exercise pen.

            Many of the inmates kept in Eastern      State went insane from the constant solitude. At the time it was a popular thought that excessive masturbation lead to insanity, and doctor’s logs of the period listed many cases of insanity all with masturbation as the cause through the end of the 1800s.

            As time went on the noble experiment that Eastern State had been founded on had started to deteriorate. Prisoners were punished by means such as the straightjacket, mad chair, water bath and iron gag. Lax enforcement of the rules was also prevalent and found the inmates being allowed out of their cells to wait on the administrative staff, work on tasks around the prison unmasked, or even to do jobs that earned the officers money. This lead to the first escape in 1832 when William Hamilton, a prison baker was cooking in the warden’s house. The warden had stepped out of the house and Hamilton took the opportunity to tie bed sheets together and lower himself out the window. He was later captured, but escaped in a similar manner in 1837. 

In 1842 Charles dickens visited the prison, and was quick to criticize the harsh conditions of the penitentiary.  Part of his log of his visit reads:

“The system is rigid strict and hopeless solitary confinement and I believe it in its effects to be cruel and wrong” ~Charles Dickens 1842

            Throughout the 1840s the Pennsylvania System was loosing favor and in the late 1800s the system had begun to give way to a congregate prison system. The Pennsylvania system was officially abandoned in 1913. The prison spent the remainder of its life as a congregate prison until its closing in January of 1970.

            The prison was re opened for 8 months during 1970 and 1971 to house prisoners transferred from the county prison at Holmesburg following a riot there.

By its close in 1970 it housed more than 2,000

“You have to believe that if there are ghosts anywhere it would be here.”

~Sean Kelley - Program Director of Eastern State Penitentiary

Throughout Eastern State Penitentiary’s history there have been rumors of its being haunted. It is said that the final guards of the prison claim to have heard the sounds of footsteps in the corridors, pacing feet in the cells, eerie wails that drifted from the darkest corners of the complex and dark shadows that resembled people flitting past now darkened doorways and past windows and cells after the last of the living prisoners had been removed.

            One account of Eastern State being haunted comes from a locksmith who was working on locks for the pre Halloween tour. At the time he was removing a 140 year old lock from a cell door in “four block” when he felt he was being watched.  When he turned his attention from the lock he noticed a figure that faded into smoke. This cloud of smoke then proceeded to move down the hall towards him and shot up into the ceiling right before reaching him. Numerous glowing cat eyes then appeared to the man and a voice echoed down the hall way, “We’re watching you.”

            In September of 2001 the Philadelphia Ghost Hunters Alliance conducted an investigation primarily in cell blocks five and six. Many members reported seeing a figure step out and re-enter an empty cell.  It was their official conclusion that Eastern State could be haunted.

            There have been numerous sightings of a figure that stands in a guard tower watching over the prison. It would appear as if the figure was a prison guard who is still keeping watch over an empty prison even in death. One can only wonder what the guard might have witnessed in the prison yard that ties his spirit to the tower.

            One of the most common sightings, from visitors and staff alike is that of a dark shadowy figure in the older cellblocks.  It is always reported as a tall human like figure who stands very still. Anyone who has seen this figure has felt a strong feeling of anger and malevolence.

~Jay

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