Eastern State Penitentiary, which was also called ESP, was an American prison located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was situated at 2027 Fairmount Avenue. It officially opened its doors in 1829 and operated until the year 1971 when it was abandoned. The prison was famous for its practice of a separate incarceration system. The state prison these days is a United States National Historic Landmark.

History of Eastern State Penitentiary

The ESP commenced its running on October 25, 1829. It was claimed to be the most expensive and first Penitentiary in the world. The building was designed by John Havilland and had a solitary confinement system where prisoners were not allowed to interact whatsoever. Between 1829 and 1836 the prison was expanded by two blocks due to overcrowding of prisoners; it had a capacity of 450 prisoners by the end of the expansion. John Havilland made sure there were rectangular openings through which food and work materials could be given to the inmates. 

Outside the cells, there was an area surrounded by high walls where prisoners could exercise individually. An underground cellblock with no light where violent criminals were kept. The prison was known to hold worse inmates such as Al Capone and Willie Sutton. There was an escape from the prison of 12 prisoners who had managed to dig a 97-foot tunnel under the walls of the prison without being discovered.

The decline of the Eastern State Penitentiary

The system which was being practiced in the prison of solitary confinement came to an end due to overcrowding of inmates. It had to operate as a congregate prison after leaving its initial solitary confinement system. The Eastern State Penitentiary was officially closed in 1971 and the prison guards and inmates were transferred to Graterford prison. After the migration, the Philadelphia city purchased the structure hoping to redevelop it. The abandonment led to the growth of trees and other vegetation in the cell blocks as well as along the walls which made the building house a lot of stray cats.

The current condition of the ESP

Sometime after its abandonment, it was marked a National Historic Landmark and currently operates as a museum. The building structure did not change after the migration of the prisoners until a project of restoration and renovation was initiated in 1991. The Eastern State Penitentiary was officially opened for the public in 1994. The museum offers both guided tours and self-guided tours around the cell blocks excluding some which are off-limits. The museum runs events like Bastille Day Celebration and Haunted House Halloween. The Eastern State has art exhibits like ghost cats which were captured and sculpted. The place is recommended for visits, therefore, anyone can visit at any time as long as it is from 10 am to 5 pm.