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The History: Eastern State Penitentiary broke sharply with the prisons of its day, abandoning corporal punishment and ill treatment. This massive new structure, opened in 1829, became one of the most expensive American buildings of its day and soon the most famous prison in the world. The Penitentiary would not simply punish, but move the criminal toward spiritual reflection and change.
Eastern's seven earliest cellblocks designed by British-born architect John Haviland, may represent the first modern building in the United States. Seven cellblocks radiate from a central surveillance rotunda. Haviland’s ambitious mechanical innovations placed each prisoner in his or her own private cell, centrally heated, with running water, a flush toilet, and a skylight. Adjacent to the cell was a private outdoor exercise yard contained by a ten-foot wall. This was in an age when the White House, with its new occupant Andrew Jackson, had no running water and was heated with coal-burning stoves. Some of America's most notorious criminals were held in Eastern’s cells. When gangster Al Capone found himself in front of a judge for the first time in 1929, he was sentenced to one year in prison. He spent most of that sentence in relative comfort at Eastern State, where he was allowed to furnish his cell with antiques, rugs, and oil paintings. By the 1960's, the aged prison was in need of costly repairs. The Commonwealth closed the facility in 1971, 142 years after it admitted Charles Williams, Prisoner Number One. It is currently run by the non-profit corporation, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc., and is open daily for tours. |
Claims: The haunting of Eastern State Penitentiary started well before it was even closed. One of its most famous prisoners was Al Capone in 1929. Capone swore that he was haunted by a victim of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre James Clark. It has been reported that Capone would yell nightly for Jimmy to let him be.
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. In a typical year, maybe two dozen paranormal investigations take place in the cell blocks, and according to Assistant Program Director Brett Bertolino, they almost always find evidence of activity. Tourists and employees have reported hearing weeping, giggling and whispering coming from inside the prison walls.
Our Findings: I visited ESP on October 10, 2013. It was a chilly, overcast day –perfect for stomping around inside an old, creepy penitentiary. My trip to ESP was unexpected and I was hoping to be able to tag along with another group that may be touring that day. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the tours are ‘self-guided’ and I could go where I wanted and stay for as long as I wanted. I was given one of those audio players to hang around my neck where you choose the relevant number in order to hear the history of a particular area. That wasn’t as useful as the guides that were posted in strategic areas…..
The only equipment I had with me was a digital recorder and camera. Since I had to be in Pittston, PA that afternoon I was only able to stay about 2 hours. I took about 100 pictures. Only one showed anything out of the ordinary and it was taken in one of the cell blocks. Several orbs are clearly visible. I did let the recorder run during my time at ESP but nothing of any note was captured.
ESP was not as “creepy” as I expected – I wasn’t feeling that negative vibe associated with haunted prisons. I was struck by how small the cells were. At 5’7” I had to duck considerably to be able to enter the cells. And I was also somewhat disappointed that the exact cell that housed Al Capone is still a mystery. I was told by a tour guide that they know it was one of 4 cells – but cannot say for sure which one. They have furnished one to look like the one they believe he was in. Not knowing the true location makes me wonder about the furnishings……….Did he really have all those amenities or is that also speculation???
In any event, seeing the historic old place was worth the side trip. I will have to take the team and spend more time with more equipment before we can give our thoughts on haunted or not.
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. In a typical year, maybe two dozen paranormal investigations take place in the cell blocks, and according to Assistant Program Director Brett Bertolino, they almost always find evidence of activity. Tourists and employees have reported hearing weeping, giggling and whispering coming from inside the prison walls.
Our Findings: I visited ESP on October 10, 2013. It was a chilly, overcast day –perfect for stomping around inside an old, creepy penitentiary. My trip to ESP was unexpected and I was hoping to be able to tag along with another group that may be touring that day. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the tours are ‘self-guided’ and I could go where I wanted and stay for as long as I wanted. I was given one of those audio players to hang around my neck where you choose the relevant number in order to hear the history of a particular area. That wasn’t as useful as the guides that were posted in strategic areas…..
The only equipment I had with me was a digital recorder and camera. Since I had to be in Pittston, PA that afternoon I was only able to stay about 2 hours. I took about 100 pictures. Only one showed anything out of the ordinary and it was taken in one of the cell blocks. Several orbs are clearly visible. I did let the recorder run during my time at ESP but nothing of any note was captured.
ESP was not as “creepy” as I expected – I wasn’t feeling that negative vibe associated with haunted prisons. I was struck by how small the cells were. At 5’7” I had to duck considerably to be able to enter the cells. And I was also somewhat disappointed that the exact cell that housed Al Capone is still a mystery. I was told by a tour guide that they know it was one of 4 cells – but cannot say for sure which one. They have furnished one to look like the one they believe he was in. Not knowing the true location makes me wonder about the furnishings……….Did he really have all those amenities or is that also speculation???
In any event, seeing the historic old place was worth the side trip. I will have to take the team and spend more time with more equipment before we can give our thoughts on haunted or not.