EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY OF PHILADELPHIA: NOT TO BE MISSED – CIAO VALENTINA
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is worth a visit. In the past, an isolation penitentiary, it is now a tourist attraction.
Where is it?
Yes, this penitentiary is definitely worth a visit. Located in the Fairmount area of Philadelphia, find it on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street. This penitentiary was operational between 1829 to 1971.
Who was put in this penitentiary? In this penitentiary, the criminals waited to receive their final sentence. There was no division between men and women, adults and children, thieves and murderers, their cells were small and crammed side by side. In those days not even the White House had running water and the conditions of these prisoners were horrible.
On what system was this penitentiary based?
The isolation system developed in this penitentiary became known as The Pennsylvania System which developed later in Europe and in various European colonies.
Each prisoner had his cell with a bed, a workbench and a cast iron ‘toilet’ which was emptied once a day. The cells had wooden floors and a high arched ceiling with a small skylight, called “the dead eye”.
The Pennsylvania System, based on silence and isolation, literally drove the prisoners crazy and in 1913 it was finally abandoned and soon after the corridors were filled with men and women, finally able to talk to each other.
Cases:
The case of John Currin, a 22-year-old American gardener, convicted in 1829 of stealing his neighbour’s horse. He received a two-year sentence.
Upon his arrival, his head was hooded so no other prisoner could recognize him and had to wear that hood every time he left his cell.
Young Currin spent 23 hours a day locked inside his cell. He was not allowed to speak to anyone.
He slept in his cell.
He ate three meals a day in his cell.
He kept busy repairing old shoes from other prisoners in his cell.
John Currin was allowed to keep only one book in his cell: he chose the Bible.
He could not receive any letters from home, no newspaper, no visitors.
Currin only received two half-hour breaks per day. Once every two or three weeks he was taken to the main courtyard where he could wash himself.
The following years:
By 1940, the penitentiary had become a maximum-security facility, with life imprisonment and even death sentences. However, the prisoners had no way of spending time outdoors. They also had a chance to play baseball in the prison yard. However, there were many jobs to do so they were all busy with small tasks such as fixing the plumbing system, painting where necessary and arranging the electrical system.
In this prison, men and women received the same sentences, but women were generally assigned housework, such as doing laundry and cooking meals. Many women entered this penitentiary pregnant. Here they gave birth and the children grew up and spent years in prison with their mothers.
Celebrities:
Al Capone received his first sentence right here in the Eastern State Penitentiary. He served 7 months for being found outside a Philadelphia cinema with an unlicensed 38 caliber gun. While the courts in Philadelphia tried to be strict to set an example for the whole of America, Al Capone was guarded with “white gloves” inside prison. His cell was the only one to be considered luxury with even a radio.
Ticket purchase:
Recommend that you buy tickets online as you will have access to a small discount. Tickets purchased online cost $14 while tickets purchased on site cost $16. Highly recommended to have the audio guide.
Other useful tips:
The penitentiary has never been renovated for visitors once closed. What you will see as dark and small cells, narrow runners, small spaces, showing the real environment in which the prisoners lived.
This is said to be a haunted place. I did not sense any presence, but always look behind you, you never know!
And remember: Live, Travel, Laugh and Repeat
In a responsible way
Read also: 1 DAY IN PHILADELPHIA – 11 ATTRACTIONS NOT TO BE MISSED
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