Eastern State Penitentiary

Built in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s known for being the very first prison of its kind to introduce solitary confinement, or what they used to call, the Pennsylvania System. Prisoners were sent to solitary during this time as a form of rehabilitation. They would be completely isolated, living alone, eating alone, and even exercising alone in their own individual yards. Whenever an inmate left his cell, a black hood would be placed over his head to assure he remained in confinement.

Due to Eastern States’ harsh approach, many prisoners were drove to insanity, and as a result the Pennsylvania System was scrapped in 1913. From then until 1970 it was used as a regular prison, and held the likes of Al Capone and the bank robber, Willie Sutton.

Reports of the paranormal have been going on since the 1940′s, but ever since the stone prison was abandoned in 1971, paranormal experiences have seemingly increased.

Reports include:

• Shadowy figures that seem to quickly turn away when approached
• a dark figure that is occasionally seen in the guard tower
• an evil cackling is heard coming from cellblock 12
• shadowy figures have been seen sliding down walls in cellblock 6
• ghostly faces have been witnessed in cellblock 4
• and strange sounds such as disembodied footsteps, distant talking, and banging of cell doors have also been heard.