eastern state penitentiary

opened in 1829 and closed its doors 142 years later.

i toured it yesterday (oct. 30th)it was cool as hell. at first i thought it would be a bit lame but i loved it.

there are pictures on this site (it says 360* veiws on the lower right side). i was amazed at what i learned. eastern state


anyway if any of you get the chance to go sight seeing in philly this is a place you might like. i learned more about philly and pennsylvania in general than you'd learn seeing the liberty bell.

i was thinking about ingrid when i was standing in the cell. if wish like hell i would have known about the tours when she was here. she would have loved learning about eastern state. i will go back with my kids next time.

so, if you've ever thought about touring an old prison it might be cooler than you think.

 

the small window was originally to be in every cell so the prisoner knew the "eye of God" was always with them. later it became so crowded and they built a 2nd floor on some of the parts of the prison removing prisoners light. imagine 2 years in this box with NO contact with other people at all. i'd have gone crazy, many of them did.

 

the inner door. only contact was food being slipped in.

 

this door covered the inner door or gate of each cell. they were thick wood to muffle the sounds so you could not hear or be heard by others.

 

hospital wing. good ole al capone got his tonsils out here in 1920 ( i think?).

 

oops wrong pic, here is the hospital wing

 

inside that wing.

 

anyway, it is a weird kind of cool.

 

Wow V - I'm seriously impressed, and highly envious! This is definately something I want to do when I come back over. In fact, if I had the money, I'd just tour the world going through Prison Museums . This just looks like such a stunning place, steeped in history and the atmosphere would have been unbelievable. I loved the pictures and the notes - cheers, it's appreciated!

PS - why is this in the Entertainment forum? Just wondering .

 

FUCKING AWESOME.

You could shoot a heavy metal video or a horror movie in that place. I want to go there for a tour myself now! Kick ass.