Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary admitted its first prisoner in 1829. John Haviland arranged seven vaulted cellblocks like spokes around a central surveillance hub. The Pennsylvania System kept prisoners in solitary confinement with labor, an approach promoted as reform and condemned by Charles Dickens after his 1842 visit. A prison designed for 250 people eventually held about 1,700.The prison abandoned strict isolation in 1913, expanded to fifteen cellblocks, and closed in 1970. Its preserved corridors, cells, workshops, hospital spaces, and central rotunda now support exhibits on incarceration and criminal justice. Current hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from March through November, with Tuesday closures during most of winter and separate holiday closures. Admission is paid. More

Eastern State Penitentiary admitted its first prisoner in 1829. John Haviland arranged seven vaulted cellblocks like spokes around a central surveillance hub. The Pennsylvania System kept prisoners in solitary confinement with labor, an approach promoted as reform and condemned by Charles Dickens after his 1842 visit. A prison designed for 250 people eventually held about 1,700.The prison abandoned strict isolation in 1913, expanded to fifteen cellblocks, and closed in 1970. Its preserved corridors, cells, workshops, hospital spaces, and central rotunda now support exhibits on incarceration and criminal justice. Current hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from March through November, with Tuesday closures during most of winter and separate holiday closures. Admission is paid. More