The Eastern
State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, which was
conceived shortly after the American
Revolution and opened in 1829, was meant
not to simply punish criminals, but
encourage them to engage in spiritual
reflection so that they would become
genuinely penitent (thus the new word,
penitentiary). Through the years this
notion that all criminals are capable of
redemption was gradually abandoned and
more standard prison practices were
added, including Cell Block 15 (Death
Row) for prisoners awaiting their final
punishment.
The prison
finally closed in 1971. Like San
Francisco's Alcatraz, Eastern State
Penitentiary is now open for tours.
As early
as the 1940s, officers and inmates began
to report mysterious visions and eerie
experiences in the prison. And the ghost
sightings have only increased in recent
years (and have been well documented in
countless TV shows, books, and
magazines). It makes perfect sense then,
that the prison has become the setting
for one of the most dramatic haunted
houses in the area. Every year, the
prison is transformed into one of the
scariest places around, making great use
of its history and notoriety. Do you
really want to be scared this Halloween?
Then don't miss Terror
Behind the Walls, the series of haunted
happenings within this former prison!
