Philadelphia is considered to be one of the most haunted cities in the United States of America, and has one of the highest densities of haunted houses.
This menacing Gothic-style prison, Eastern State Penitentiary, is one of them. It opened in Philadelphia in 1829 and became the first in the U.S. to implement solitary confinement, a hotly debated practice. Prisoners languished in gloomy stone cells with virtually no human contact, with hoods placed over their heads anytime they were moved. Proponents of this system believed that solitude would lead to penitence, which would ultimately result in rehabilitation. Critics, on the other hand, believed it incited emotional anguish comparable to physical torture. The so-called “Pennsylvania system” was replicated in several other states and in Europe.
Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells once held many of America's most notorious lawbreakers, including "Slick Willie" Sutton and "Scarface" Al Capone.
When the prison closed in 1971, it is believed that the ghosts of the inmates took back the prison. Visitors claim to see their apparitions wandering the corridors and hear mischievous whispers in abandoned cell blocks.
Spooky Fact: Each summer the penitentiary hosts an annual Bastille Day celebration to commemorate the French Revolution. Two thousand Tastykakes (a Philadelphia treat) are flung from the prison’s towers while a Marie Antoinette impersonator is dragged to the guillotine.
How to Visit: Eastern State Penitentiary offers daytime tours year-round, as well as special events. If you’re feeling brave, visit during the fall, when the decommissioned prison transforms into Terror Behind the Walls, one of the top haunted houses in the country.