Rated at number two on Time's list of most haunted places, Eastern State Penitentiary is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1829 with castle-like walls and guard towers but closed in 1971. The penitentiary was the first prison to enforce solitary confinement.
The prisoners lived alone, ate and exercised alone in their own individual yards. The guards would even put covers over the prisoners head so they continued to stay in confinement somehow outside of their cells. Solitary confinement was eventually discarded due to overcrowding in the prison.
Eastern state penitentiary required prisoners to work in their cells and the only visitors allowed were members of the prison or local ministers known as moral instructors. The architecture of solidarity confinement was meant to inspire redemption but lead many prisoners to madness sparking the debate of mental illnesses being caused due to the treatment and life at the prison.
In cellblock 8, Al Capone felt he was being haunted by the ghost of James Clark who was murdered in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. And this is just one of the multiple instances of mental problems that arose during prisoners stay at the prison.
Four years after the prison opened, there was a scandal involving the prison when prisoner Mathias Maccumsey died after prison officials subjected him to a torturous instrument known as the jug gag preventing Maccumsey from talking. The gag fits over the tongue and attached to the arms pinned behind the back.
Other punishments included the water bath where inmates where dunked in an ice cold bath and hung from a wall for the night. Or the mad chair where they were strapped tightly to a chair restricting any movements and periods of starvation.
Even though it's stated that there were no known executions, the prison did see it's fair share of murders.
In 1971, the prison finally closed their doors and the remaining prisoners were transferred to Grateford State Prison. Now the penitentiary serves as one of the most popular tourist attractions in Philadelphia with guided tours highlighting the history, the rumors of it being haunted and more.
One of the hauntings many visitors seem to hear is a story involving a locksmith named Gary Johnson.
Gary Johnson was hired to remove an old lock on cell block four. After he removed the lock, he reported feeling a force so strong he couldn't move. Johnson felt as if he saw tormented faces appearing in the cell, and felt a cold hand reach into body feeling that the ghost might kill him.
Tourists, employees, and even volunteers continue to report hearing shouts, whispers, laughter, weeping or any sort of noise that is unexplainable throughout the cell blocks.
Another hotspot paranormal activity is the catwalk section of the prison. Many have reported feeling temperature changes, shadowy figures and catching voices on EVPs. On an episode of "Ghost Hunters", they happened to catch a shadowy figure on video.
The most haunted reports come from the cell blocks. Such as cellblock 12 is known for echoing voices and cackling whereas cellblock 6 sees more shadowy figure darting and running along the walls and within cellblock 4 people see ghostly faces.
It's also been reported that many have seen a figure of a guard in one of the towers along with footsteps, wails, and whisper throughout the entire penitentiary.
Whether you have the desire or even the strength to experience Eastern State Penitentiary, the prison has a rich history to learn from and gain more insight into.
