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About two weeks ago my best friend from my college days =trickylaughter joined me for a photo expedition at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. [link]
ESP was built in 1829 and at the time it was an architectural marvel with state of the art plumbing, sewage systems and heat. Covering eleven acres at the then edge of the city, it contained 450 cells all of which were used for solitary confinement for both male and female prisoners. The cell blocks were arranged like the spokes of a wagon wheel inside high fortress walls. ESP became the most famous and most copied prison in the nineteenth century world.
The Quaker inspired thinking of the day was that crime was the result of environment and that with solitude, reflection and labor the criminal will be come penitent (creating a new word, Penitentiary). The cells were designed to minimize contact between guards and other inmates by way of cells with skylights but no windows, feed doors, individual exercise yards. On rare trips outside the cells the inmates wore masks that covered the whole face and head. Speaking, visitors, books or letters from home were all prohibited. It is rumored that some inmates went insane because of the isolation. By 1913 this system was abandoned.
Easter State continued as a prison until 1971 when it closed. Over the years it fell into ruin. In the mid 1980’s many plans for redevelopment were considered and rejected. In 1991 through The Pew Charitable Trust preservation efforts begin. In 1994 ESP opened for historic tours and had more that 10,000 visitors in the first year. It now has its own museum, audio tours, is still being restored and has been seen in the first season of the SciFi Channel's Ghost Hunters first season [link]
More shots of the Penitentiary, please let me know what you think!
Eastern State Penitentiary
[link]
Ghosts in the Halls
[link]
The Cell Block
[link]
Ghost Cat
[link]
The Long Walk
[link]
Light at the End
[link]
Prison Bones
[link]
ESP was built in 1829 and at the time it was an architectural marvel with state of the art plumbing, sewage systems and heat. Covering eleven acres at the then edge of the city, it contained 450 cells all of which were used for solitary confinement for both male and female prisoners. The cell blocks were arranged like the spokes of a wagon wheel inside high fortress walls. ESP became the most famous and most copied prison in the nineteenth century world.
The Quaker inspired thinking of the day was that crime was the result of environment and that with solitude, reflection and labor the criminal will be come penitent (creating a new word, Penitentiary). The cells were designed to minimize contact between guards and other inmates by way of cells with skylights but no windows, feed doors, individual exercise yards. On rare trips outside the cells the inmates wore masks that covered the whole face and head. Speaking, visitors, books or letters from home were all prohibited. It is rumored that some inmates went insane because of the isolation. By 1913 this system was abandoned.
Easter State continued as a prison until 1971 when it closed. Over the years it fell into ruin. In the mid 1980’s many plans for redevelopment were considered and rejected. In 1991 through The Pew Charitable Trust preservation efforts begin. In 1994 ESP opened for historic tours and had more that 10,000 visitors in the first year. It now has its own museum, audio tours, is still being restored and has been seen in the first season of the SciFi Channel's Ghost Hunters first season [link]
More shots of the Penitentiary, please let me know what you think!
Eastern State Penitentiary
[link]
Ghosts in the Halls
[link]
The Cell Block
[link]
Ghost Cat
[link]
The Long Walk
[link]
Light at the End
[link]
Prison Bones
[link]
Image size
1704x2272px 1.57 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Shutter Speed
1/15 second
Aperture
F/2.7
Focal Length
6 mm
Date Taken
Jun 18, 2007, 10:08:08 AM
© 2007 - 2024 raiawoman
Comments29
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i went there that twice or something while i visited my family over there it was creepy just staring at it and i think theres also paranormal activity outside of that place or maybe i wuz just paraniod :]