Opened in 1829, Eastern State was built on the site of the old Walnut Street Jail, which had opened in 1776. Eastern State sought to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor". While this turned out to be a rather cruel and unusual form of punishment, this system of confinement was not abolished until 1913.
At the time it was built, the Penitentiary was one of the most expensive buildings in the country. Its famous wagon-wheel floor plan has been copied hundreds of times over.
Some of America's most notorious criminals were held in the Penitentiary's vaulted, sky-lit cells, including Al Capone. Oddly enough, Capone claimed to be haunted by the ghost of one of his victims that was gunned down in the infamous St Valentines Day massacre. A recreation of his cell is on view today.
Eastern State Penitentiary was abandoned in 1971. It has been open to the public since the early 1990s. Preservation of this historic location is ongoing.
Please follow the link below for more information on this iconic location:
EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY