ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Haunted Places: Eastern State Penitentiary, PA

Updated on July 9, 2012
Diagram of the pentagon model of prison architecture, designed to segregate and confine inmates 24 hours a day
Diagram of the pentagon model of prison architecture, designed to segregate and confine inmates 24 hours a day

If you've ever seen the episode of "Ghost Hunters" on SciFi where they visit Eastern State Penitentiary, you'll recall the shadowy figure they caught on video up on the catwalk. Apparently this particular catwalk, like a number of other locations within the prison, is a hotbed of paranormal activity. When my mother, my sister and I visited the penitentiary in 2004, we caught not one, but two EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon) in the exact same spot. We were up by ourselves on the stairs that lead to the (now closed off) catwalk, snapping a few photos, when a voice came through sternly instructing us, "You don't have to take a damn picture." Just moments later, the same voice manifested again, this time forlornly stating, "I'm lonely..."

Eastern State Penitentiary, located in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was built in 1829 and designed to hold 250 prisoners, but was estimated to have held up to 1,700 at it's height in 1913. Built on the pentagon prison model, Eastern State has five wings which all extend outwards from a central point, similar to a wagon wheel. Believing that criminal activity was a product of one's environment, the building's structure sought to rehabilitate inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor." The prison is best known for housing famous mobster Al Capone in 1929, who insisted he was haunted by the ghost of James Clark, the brother-in-law of Capone's rival, murdered in the St. Valentine's Day massacre. Fellow inmates reported hearing Capone screams nightly, begging "Jimmy" to go away and leave him alone.

After it closed in 1970, Eastern State was virtually abandoned for 21 years, until it was selected for historic preservation and reconstruction began in 1991. Although it is open during the day for guide-led or self-led tours, Eastern State is also available at night for the hardcore ghost hunters willing to pay $10 each for a private, orvernight investigation. The only downside is you must have a minimum of 20 people in your group in order to gain access to the building overnight, which is offered only on selected days in September, October and November.

As early as the 1940s employees and prisoners alike began reporting unusual activity within the prison's walls. But by now the sightings have increased a hundredfold. In 1951, the prison began to house more violent criminals such as murderers and rapists and this fact, combined with the prison's history of using physical torture as a form of punishment, have both contributed to it's being haunted. In addition to the catwalk I mentioned above, voices, laughter and cackling have also been heard in the restricted Cellblock 12 area. Other active areas include Cellblock 6, where shadowy figures have been seen against the walls, and Cellblock 4, where ghostly faces have been spotted. Visitors have reported hearing footsteps in the long, dark corridors and wails that seem to originate from the secluded cells.

One of the most popular ghost stories comes from a locksmith named Gary Johnson who was at the prison to do some restoration work on a particular cell door when he had the sudden feeling that he was being watched. When he finally turned around, he witnessed a large, black shadow jump out of a nearby cell and leap into the cell across from it. Another common ghost sighting takes place in a guard tower high atop the prison's confining brick walls. The figure is thought to be some former prison guard, destined to stand watch over his wards for eternity. While some paranormal encounters give the spectator a sense of peace and benevolence, the spirits at Eastern State are usually angry and malevolent.

EASTERN STATE PHOTOS by Kathleen Popola

View from the catwalk of the now restricted two-story Cellblock 12
View from the catwalk of the now restricted two-story Cellblock 12 | Source
Stairs leading up to the catwalk where we caught the EVPs
Stairs leading up to the catwalk where we caught the EVPs | Source
Al Capone's cell restored to it's original state
Al Capone's cell restored to it's original state | Source
Courtyard watchtower where a figure, possibly a former guard, has been spotted
Courtyard watchtower where a figure, possibly a former guard, has been spotted | Source

"Night Visitors" take on Eastern State

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)