Eastern State Penitentiary: 140 Years of Reform
In 1790, the state legislature of Pennsylvania decided that they needed state prisons rather than local jails. The Walnut Street jail of Philadelphia was transformed into Pennsylvania’s first state prison. At this time, it was already overcrowded but state officials insisted that it be turned into a state prison. It was to accept prisoners from all over the state of Pennsylvania until the state could build other prisons. In the fall of 1790, legislation had ordered that a small cell-block be built in the Walnut Street jail to provide solitary confinement for the worst offenders, such as murderers, who were not given death sentences. This cell-block quickly became overcrowded.
The idea of solitary confinement originated in England. People believed that since monks can go through life in confinement, then prisoners in confinement may eventually be reformed. If monks were able to go through life without ever speaking to each other, then prisoners should be able to do the same. They did not expect that criminals would turn out to be exactly like monks. They simply thought that solitary confinement would help to correct all offenders. Solitary confinement was attempted several times in England but, due to overcrowding, never seemed to work as they had expected.
Overcrowding was becoming so severe at the Walnut Street jail in the 1820s that it was decided that a new state prison had to be built to serve the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Solitary confinement was a popular issue during the 19th century because it was being attempted all over Europe during the late 18th and early 19th century. Every time it was attempted in Europe, it failed. Because of this, solitary confinement was a popular issue in America at that time and a total solitary confinement prison was proposed for Eastern State. People believed that the only proper way to treat criminals was to put them in solitary confinement so they had plenty of time to simply sit in a cell and think about their crimes. The new prison would attempt to follow these ideas during its first 50 or 60 years in existence.
The prison was to be located within the city limits of Philadelphia and be no more than two and a half miles from the state house. Originally, it was to house 250 prisoners in total solitary confinement. Architect, John Haviland, was selected to design the prison. This was to be his first major project and his first prison. The selected site for the prison was an elevated area where a cherry orchard once was. Because of this, the prison later acquired the nickname of Cherry Hill. Haviland designed the prison in a popular, hub and spoke method. The hub and spoke method was used on prisons throughout Europe and it proved to be an effective design, allowing for constant surveillance of the entire prison from a central rotunda. The hub was the center house where the guards would be posted. The spokes were the cell blocks which projected outward from the center house and guard post.
The original plans by Haviland called for seven cell blocks radiating outward from the center house and guard post. Each cell would have its own individual exercise yard and this exercise yard was to be joined to the cell by a wall with a locked door. Since no prisoner would be allowed to go outside for any reason, the only way for them to get any exercise at all was to have an individual exercise yard connected to each cell. The main goal of Haviland and all of the prison’s supporters was to provide a prison that could maintain constant solitary confinement. The prisoners were to have no contact with any other inmates from the time they entered the prison up until the day they were released.
Haviland’s original estimated cost for the prison was $17,000. When the prison was completed in 1836, the total cost for the prison amounted to more than $772,000.
Eight dungeons were originally planned to be in a basement of the prison and each cell in the dungeon was to have its own fireplace to provide light and heat. These dungeons were eventually eliminated from the plans but a few cells in one of the cell-blocks were referred to as the dungeon because they had no lighting and no bed. This is where inmates, who were caught talking or communicating in any way with other inmates, were to be brought for punishment.
Construction began on the prison in May of 1822. Changes had to be made so the prison could accommodate 200 more inmates. Because of this, Haviland had to re-design blocks 4, 5 and 6. These blocks had to have a second floor and each cell still needed an exercise yard. Haviland designed each exercise yard and each cell to be somewhat smaller than the cells and exercise yards on each of the other cell blocks to be able to expand the prison’s capacity to 450 inmates. The cornerstone was laid on May 22, 1823 and inside the cornerstone a metal plate was placed. The plate read: "Penitentiary For the Eastern District of the State of Pennsylvania Founded Agreeably to an Act of Assembly passed on the 20th day of March, in the year of out Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty One. Joseph Hiester, Governor." In 1994, a group of summer employees of Eastern State set out to locate the cornerstone but they were unable to locate it. There are no known original plans of the penitentiary available and the only blueprints that still exist do not indicate the site of the cornerstone.
Although the prison was not completed until 1836, it received its first prisoner on October 22, 1829. Charles Williams was sentenced to two years for burglary. He was released on October 22, 1831. Like all other prisoners who later entered Eastern State, Williams was stripped of his name and given a number. Williams was number one. When any prisoners entered Eastern State or any other prison in the state of Pennsylvania, they were given a number and they were not to be called by their name until the day they were released. The reason for this was to protect each inmate’s identity. This would allow them to start a new life after they were released. Also, the incoming prisoners were to be stripped of their clothing, measured, weighed and given a physical examination. A note was to be made by the guard or warden of the inmate’s height, weight, age, place of birth, trade, complexion, color of hair and eyes, length of feet, and if the person was able to write, he was to submit his signature.
Eastern State continued to receive prisoners in 1829 even though the prison was still under construction. The prisoners at that time were allowed to assist in the construction of the prison. There was much controversy over whether or not the prisoners should be allowed to do work but later in 1829 a law was passed that stated that prisoners should do labor either in their cells or exercise yards. This law was already working against the principle of solitary confinement. The prison directors wanted every prisoner to do nothing more than sit in their cell and think about their crime right up until the day they are released. The normal sentence for common crimes such as horse theft, larceny and burglary, from the time Eastern State opened through the1870s, was two to two and a half years. The normal sentence for murderers and kidnappers was 21 years. All these offenders were to spend their entire sentence at Eastern State in total solitary confinement. The warden was required to ensure that the punishment of total solitary confinement was carried out. The first warden at Eastern State was Samuel Wood. He was warden at the Walnut Street jail and he was transferred to Eastern State right before the Walnut Street jail had closed. He and his family were required to reside on the premises and he was not allowed to leave for periods of more than 18 hours at a time without permission from the prison commission. These same rules applied to all wardens who resided there right through the 1940s.
Since total solitary confinement was going to be attempted for the first time in America, many people believed that it would follow the path of the European attempts and that it would not work. The prison commission believed it would be somewhat easy. They believed the Europeans were simply careless and they did not try hard enough to carry out total solitary confinement. They also believed that, with the right prison design, they could easily carry out their goal. Program director Sean Kelley said "They believed that all the guards would have to do is watch the prisoners from the guard station and make rounds every so often to make sure there was silence. It seemed that easy, but in reality, the prisoners had to be supplied with work, bathed, fed, and allowed in the exercise yards for an hour a day." One of the biggest problems in the early years of Eastern State was keeping the guards sober during working hours. The guards were given a ration of alcoholic beverages during the workday but were encouraged to stay sober. Few guards actually did remain sober and after some time, the prison commissioners were forced to pass a rule that stated that anyone found drunk on the job will be dismissed immediately.
After the prisoners were admitted, examined, measured and weighed, they would be given a pair of wool trousers, a jacket with their number sewn on it, two handkerchiefs, two pairs of socks and a pair of shoes. Then a mask, that resembled a burlap bag, would be placed over their heads for two reasons. The first, in order to discourage escapes, was to ensure that the prisoner could not get an idea of the layout of the prison. If the prisoner did not know which direction to go if he did happen to get out of his cell, then it would be harder to escape. The second reason was to promote anonymity. If a prisoner in his cell saw an incoming inmate being led to his cell, he might have recognized that person. The commissioners did not want anyone to be recognized by anyone. They wanted every inmate to have the opportunity to begin a new life upon their release. Wearing masks was discontinued in 1903 but if a prisoner requested to wear the mask to protect his identity, then he would be permitted to wear it.
The guards wore a pair of socks over their shoes when they were doing their rounds of the prison. The reason for this was to be extremely silent while they were walking. By doing this, the prisoners would not be able to hear the guard coming and it also allowed the guard to hear any sounds coming from the cells. The inmates were not allowed any kind of reading materials such as books or newspapers. They were not even allowed to know who the president of the United States was. The only contact they were allowed to have with other people was when they went to see the prison doctor or the clergy. The inmates were not allowed to communicate with each other in any way. They also were not permitted to make any noise whatsoever. If they were caught whistling, singing or talking, they would either be deprived dinner every day for a week or taken to the cell block which was called the dungeon. Their normal cells had a sky light in the ceiling that allowed them to see outside. In the dungeon, they would not be able to see outside or be allowed to do work or exercise. Also, prisoners who were caught talking repeatedly, or those who broke other rules, would be sent to the dungeon cell block and they would be given a half pound ration of bread and a cup of water per day for a prescribed period of time.
Although communicating with each other was prohibited, most of the prisoners still attempted to communicate. After all, the average sentence at Eastern State was two, to two and a half years, and since everyone who is committed to prison is used to communicating with other people, it is very difficult for them to be cut off from all communication altogether. Since this was the case, the prisoners tried every possible way to communicate with each other. The easiest way to do this was to prepare a note in whatever way possible. Then during exercise time in the yards outside, the prisoners would attach the note to a pebble and throw the pebble over the wall to an adjacent second exercise yard. When the prisoners were permitted to go outside to exercise, they were let out in shifts. For example, cells one, three, five, seven and so on, were allowed out for an hour. Then, cells two, four, six, eight, and so on, were allowed out the next hour. This was done to help prevent communication also. Since the prisoners would have to throw a note over two walls, rather than one, it made it somewhat difficult to communicate in this way. However, throwing a pebble with a note attached to it was extremely quiet. It was probably the quietest way for the inmates to communicate. The only way they could get caught in this manner was if a guard passing by or a guard in the guard tower noticed the pebble being tossed in the air. Since this method was fairly easy to do and risked the least chance of being caught, it was the most popular form of communication among the inmates.
Other forms of communication used by the prisoners ranged from using a coded alphabet by tapping on the walls, to whistling softly between cells and also by simply talking quietly. Since there were vents in every cell for heat, the vents were also an easy form of communication. In the two story cell blocks, it was very easy for the prisoner on the ground floor to communicate with the prisoner on the second floor, who was directly above him, by using the ventilation ducts. It was very easy for the prisoners to talk into, or tap on the vent in their cells to communicate with each other that way also. They knew that if they were caught, they would be punished in some way, so they tried to use the most inconspicuous forms of communicating to avoid being caught. That is the reason that tossing a pebble with a note attached to it was the easiest and most popular.
At first, punishment at Eastern State was somewhat mild compared to other institutions. Most prisons used the lash, which was a leather strap that was used to beat prisoners who broke the rules. At Eastern State, the lash was not used. But as prisoners continued to break the rules repeatedly, the forms of punishment became much more intense. One unorthodox form of punishment came to a horse thief in 1834. He was caught trying to communicate with another prisoner. The man was taken outside into his exercise yard on a very cold winter day. He was tied to the wall, stripped of his clothing, and was doused with several buckets of water. He was then left there for a long period of time. When he was finally brought back inside his cell, ice was formed on his hair and his body.
Some of the more common methods of punishment included the mad chair, the iron gag and the straitjacket.
The mad chair was used mostly to calm mental patients.
In the mad chair, the prisoner was tied to the chair by using chains, leather straps, and locks. The prisoner was held down to the seat so firmly that he could not move at all. After long periods of time in the mad chair, the prisoner’s legs would become severely swollen.
The iron gag was the most commonly used at Eastern State.
The iron gag was a device that was placed over a prisoner’s tongue. Then the prisoner’s hands were tied and crossed behind his back so that his hands were tied as high as his neck. Then the iron gag that was attached to his tongue, was chained to his hands and locked. This form of punishment usually caused intense bleeding from the mouth.
The straitjacket was commonly used by mental institutions to prevent violent patients from hurting themselves or other people. At Eastern State, the straitjacket was used restrictively. When used restrictively, the straitjacket would cause the prisoner’s face, neck and hands to become numb. After long periods of time, the face, neck and hands would turn black because of the lack of blood flow to those particular body parts. Most of these forms of punishment were abandoned after an investigation in 1835 but they are reported to have continued right up to approximately 1850.
Besides punishments affecting their physical health, prisoners were also subjected to diseases within the prison. During the first few years of Eastern State’s existence, there was always a damp smell of human waste lingering within the prison. This was because of the original design of the vents and plumbing and heating methods. Water had to be supplied to every cell for the prisoners to be able to flush their toilets and for them to be able to partially bathe. Since the prisoners were only permitted to bathe once every three weeks, they could only bathe in basins which were in their cells. To heat this water and to help heat the prison itself, coal stoves were placed in tunnels which were located underneath the prison floor. The stoves provided heat and hot water. Since the sewer pipes ran along side the plumbing for water and the heating ducts, the sewer pipes were also heated by the coal stoves. Because of this, the prison used to smell like human waste. This problem had to be corrected in later years because of numerous reports of sickness among the prisoners and guards.
Many people said that the system of total confinement impaired the mind of the people involved in this treatment. Many of the prison supporters denied this fact. The prison physician made up other reasons that caused the prisoners to go insane. It was believed at that time, that excessive masturbation was the main disease that caused insanity. Because of this, it is documented in the physician’s log book, that many of the prisoners who were diagnosed as being insane, masturbation was listed as the cause of their insanity. Also, it is documented in the warden’s annual report, in 1892 that many people are simply destined to go insane because of their genes. These two diagnoses were the most popular ones used in the 1800s. Not once was it documented, that the system of total confinement, was the cause of insanity. The prison officials and supporters denied the fact that total solitary confinement was affecting many of the inmates’ minds, and that solitary confinement was the main cause of insanity.
During the first four years of the prison’s existence, from 1829 to 1833, there were prisoners of every type to enter the walls of Eastern State. There were 153 Caucasian males of various nationalities. 52 African - American males and 4 African - American females were also among the population. At this time however, the prison was still being built. Because of this, many of these prisoners assisted in construction of the prison.
Women continued to be housed at Eastern State right up until 1923 when a state prison for women was opened at Muncy Pennsylvania. This was the first state prison for women to be opened in America. It was called the State Industrial Home for Women. Many juveniles were also housed at Eastern State because there was no other place to send juvenile offenders. There were no juvenile detention centers at that time.
Eventually, Eastern State became the most famous prison in the world. Although it is documented that total solitary confinement only actually existed for approximately five years at Eastern State, solitary confinement was still being used. Punishments were still being carried out and all the same rules applied to everyone as if total solitary confinement was still applied 100 percent. After a law was passed in 1829, that mandated that all prisoners were to be put to work in their cells, every prisoner had some type of job to do. This made every prisoner’s stay there more tolerable. Since Eastern State was the most popular prison in the world, people from everywhere came to visit Eastern State. It became one of America’s biggest tourist attractions throughout the 1800s. People were amazed at what was being attempted there. Among these tourists was Charles Dickens. He visited the prison a few times during his 5 month tour of America in 1842. Although he had good intentions when he came, he really did not believe the prison directors at Eastern State knew what damage they were doing to every prisoner’s mind. He was welcomed with open arms by the prison officials every time he visited. The prison officials expected he would write about the prison at some point in his life. His book, entitled "American Notes For General Circulation and Pictures From Italy" was published in 1845. It stunned everyone associated with Eastern State.
Dickens had been a friendly, cheerful and extremely welcome guest at Eastern State. As a very popular writer, the prison officials believed it would make for good publicity to have such a well-known writer visit the prison and possibly write an article about it. As expected, Dickens did write a chapter on the prison but it was not as the prison officials had hoped it would be. Dickens said, "The system here is rigid, strict, and hopeless solitary confinement. I believe it, in its effects, to be cruel and wrong." He goes on to say, "In its intention I am well convinced that it is kind, humane, and meant for reformation; but I am persuaded that those who devised this system of prison discipline, and those benevolent gentlemen who carry it into execution, do not know what it is that they are doing." Dickens continues to speak of the inhumane treatment of all the prisoners throughout chapter seven of his book. When he visited the prison, he was taken through with two of his colleagues and they were granted permission to speak to anyone they wished to speak to. Needless to say, they spent most of their time speaking with inmates. Nothing was hidden from him and he was given every courtesy. He continues by describing the prisoner’s life in solitary confinement. He spoke to a few inmates for a great deal of time and most of them were very honest and personal with Dickens. One man who was serving a ten year sentence began to speak of his wife. He had to stop when he almost broke out in tears. Dickens says that "he is like a man buried alive; to be dug out in the slow round of years; and in the meantime dead to everything but torturing anxieties and horrible despair." He continues on to criticize the solitary confinement form of punishment. He says that this torturing of the mind is much worse than any kind of physical punishment that can be administered. He gives detailed accounts of conversations he had with several prisoners. He tells how much he pitied all these people. He even said that he almost cried when he saw a prisoner with a small white rabbit which was his pet. He said that the man seemed nobler and gentler than the rabbit. Most of what Dickens writes is a correct assessment of the effects solitary confinement has on a person’s mind.
Anyone who is locked in a cell for a long period of time without being able to communicate with anyone, is bound to have some kind of mental damage. The prison officials seemed to ignore this fact and they continued on with their attempt for many years.
Dickens also spoke of a prisoner whom he visited in 1842 who was employed doing dyeing for the prison. He said that this prisoner was also very interested in painting. He spoke of this inmate’s cell walls. He had painted every inch of the four walls in his cell.
Dickens said it was one of the most beautiful paintings that he had ever seen. When I was taken through Eastern State Penitentiary on February 8, 1996, prison director Sean Kelley pointed out the painting to me. It still remained there after more than 130 years. The painting was chipping off the walls and was not clearly visible through the dirt and mold after years of being untreated, but it still remained after all these years.
Dickens paints a horrible picture in his readers’ minds about the suffering that existed at Eastern State. Throughout his discussion on Eastern State, all he speaks of is how terrible this form of punishment is, and how much he pities these people. Many of these people deserved more than pity; they deserved to be treated like human beings. No one deserves to be treated the way all the inmates at Eastern State had been treated. The most interesting story he tells comes on the final page of chapter seven. It is a true story which was reinforced by prison director, Sean Kelley. At one of the meetings that the prison inspectors held each month, a man from Philadelphia appeared and begged them to put him in solitary confinement. He said that he was a victim of alcohol and, since Alcoholics Anonymous did not yet exist, his only hope was to be locked away to prevent him from harming himself and others from his drunkenness. Of course, the inspectors turned him down but he continued to attend these monthly meetings. After some time, they said "Let us shut him up. He will soon be glad to go away and then we shall be rid of him." So, it was agreed that if this man signed a statement that would prevent him from taking any kind of action against the prison, and that his stay there was strictly voluntary and that he was free to leave whenever he wanted, he was permitted to be imprisoned. The guards were then instructed to release him at any time of day or night upon his request. He remained in the prison for nearly two years and one day when he was working outside in a garden, he noticed that the outer gate was open. He dropped everything he was doing and ran as fast as he could out the gate and never returned.
Dickens spoke mainly about the horrible treatment that occurred to the prisoners at Eastern State. He was not alone when he spoke of this form of punishment. People from all over the world criticized this form of punishment. Some community leaders and some prison officials in the 1850s and 1860s, believed that all these forms of punishment were wrong. They believed that if a person committed a crime, he should do more labor and less time. These people still supported the prison system in general. They simply believed sentences should be reduced and labor loads be increased. They thought this would make the criminal more industrious and useful when his sentence was completed. Also, it was proposed that the prisoners be given some sort of pay for their labors and that they should have an opportunity to save the money they make in prison, so that they would have an easier time starting a new life in the community when they were released. It was proposed that a prison banking system be established so the prisoners have a place to deposit their earnings. What these people said made sense but nothing ever came of it. Prison sentences remained long and the prisoners still did work but not as much as was hoped by the people who did not support the prison discipline system that already existed at that time.
Punishments at Eastern State which included the mad chair, the iron gag, the straitjacket and the dungeon, were seldomly used, and, with the exception of the iron gag, were mild compared to other prisons in the country at that time. Most prisons used the lash which was also called the cat in the 1800s. This was a leather strap, not unlike a whip, which was used to beat prisoners who misbehaved. The shower bath was another popular form of punishment that was used. The shower bath was only given in the winter. The prisoner was thrown into a tub of ice cold water and was continually doused with buckets full of cold water. The prisoner is then left there for a period of time until the guards are satisfied that he has suffered enough. This form of punishment caused all kinds of bodily injury to the prisoners,including brain damage . After some criticism, it was agreed that the prison doctor be present when this form of punishment was to be administered. Needless to say, the doctor had very little or no control over the situation.
One disturbing story of harsh punishment came from Sing Sing prison in New York when an inmate complained to his keeper about being hungry. The keeper, not having the authority to take food from the kitchen, told his supervisor about the request for food. The supervisor became furious when he heard of this request and he beat the prisoner with an axe handle until he was forced by other guards to stop. Then the prisoner was given 50 lashes with the cat. He then spent two weeks in the infirmary and all this was for requesting more food. Nothing this harsh was ever reported at Eastern State, however, Eastern State officials had taken their share of criticism for the punishments they used. Eventually, the iron gag, the straitjacket, and the mad chair were totally forbidden from use and the only way they were allowed to punish prisoners who broke the rules, was to sentence them to a period of time in the dungeon cell block and be denied dinner for a period of time.
Many inmates at Eastern State were permitted to have small pets and were also permitted to have gardens in their exercise yard. Prison officials believed that caring for an animal or caring for plants helped to humble a man. This theory proved to be correct because even the most violent criminals became much more calm when they had a pet to care for. Gardens were also very popular because it gave the prisoners an interest beside the labor they were required to perform in their cells. Having a pet or a garden was permitted at Eastern State right up until the day it was closed.
Escapes were an ongoing a problem at Eastern State all throughout its existence. Although it was not easy for a prisoner to escape, many prisoners found different ways to get out. The only way a prisoner was to be able to escape was to get out of his cell or exercise yard. Then he would have to get over the high wall or front gate. In the meantime, he had to avoid being noticed by a guard. The prison’s first escape was by the prison’s baker in 1832. His name was number 94, William Hamilton. He was serving dinner in the warden’s apartment. The warden had to leave the room for some reason and in the meantime, Mr. Hamilton tied a few bed sheets together and lowered himself out the warden’s window. He wasn’t caught until 1837. He was caught stealing hogs in Montgomery county and was returned to his old cell at Eastern State.
There were many escapes from Eastern State but one of the most memorable escapes came in 1926. Eight prisoners took turns tunneling under cells 24 and 25. They had dug a tunnel 8 feet below the floor of cell 24 and the tunnel continued outward toward the outer wall of the prison. The prisoners had dug down 8 feet deep and dug 35 feet toward the outer wall before they were caught. They spent an unknown amount of time in solitary confinement for the attempted escape. Another similar escape attempt came on April 3, 1945. A group of eight prisoners dug a tunnel under their cells and tunneled outward to the yard outside the outer wall of the prison. They used wood which they slowly accumulated from the wood shop in the prison as reinforcement for the tunnel. After the tunnel was completed, they went out at slightly different times so they would not be missed all at once. By the time they had all reached the tunnel’s exit, the guards noticed that they were missing and two of them were caught as they were exiting the tunnel. The remaining men were caught a few blocks away shortly afterward. They were all taken to city hall to be sentenced for the escape and then they were returned to Eastern State where they were all placed in solitary confinement.
The attempt at carrying out total solitary confinement was completely abandoned sometime in the 1870s. The prison officials changed the name of the treatment that prisoners would receive there, from total solitary confinement, to individual treatment. Their attempt at continuing total solitary confinement had failed, and rather than carrying on this failing attempt any longer, they decided that it was time for Eastern State to function as any other prison in America was functioning at that time. They had simply given up and accepted the fact that their attempt had failed. The prisoners were no longer required to spend 24 hours a day inside their cell. A dining hall was built and an athletic field was created in the large area outside the prison but within the prison walls. The inmates no longer had to dine in their cells. They were permitted to eat three meals a day in the dining hall. They still had to go there in shifts because there were too many prisoners for them all to dine at the same time. Also, the prisoners were allowed to go out into the athletic field and play games rather than stay in their exercise yards.
Since the prisoners no longer used the exercise yards, many of the exercise yards were made into separate cells to help reduce overcrowding. Today, only one exercise yard remains as it was when the prison was still in its early years. Since overcrowding was becoming a major problem around the turn of the century, many of the prisoners were being placed in cells with as many as five other inmates. Between 1900 and 1908, many new buildings were built for the prisoners. Beside new cell blocks, a wood shop, a new boiler room and many other buildings were built for the prisoners to do their work. Most of these buildings were poorly built and had to be taken down in the 1930s. The cell blocks were built stronger than some of the other buildings and they remain standing today. In 1937, a new front gate was added. Also, a new front wall was built along the front of the prison. The original gate was taken away and this new addition was added. The addition was built to allow a busload of prisoners to drive right inside the prison and the new gate was to be able to close behind the bus after it was inside the prison walls. The reason for this was to reduce the risk of escapes while the bus was parked outside the prison. Now the bus would not open its doors until it was parked within the prison and after the front gate was closed so no prisoner could try to escape. The original front door that was built in the front gate itself, is now displayed in the museum within the prison.
Along with the new century came many new programs for the prisoners. An art group was formed for prisoners who were interested in painting. A radio station was formed and many prisoners were able to participate in working in the radio station. In 1953, a new chapel was built for all prisoners interested in religion. There would be bible readings in which the inmates were permitted to participate. An education program was created where prisoners who did not receive a high school diploma, could take classes within the prison and eventually receive their diplomas. Formal education, along with vocational education were offered to all prisoners who wanted to learn. Sing Sing prison, in 1829, was the first prison to offer any form of education to the inmates. However, Sing Sing started out educating illiterate inmates. The inmates were taught reading, writing, and ciphering. Ciphering was simply a word used for arithmetic at that time. The prison chaplain was the only person to teach the prisoners. Solitary confinement was totally gone at Eastern State and the prisoners were all taken to a small classroom or wood shop. The prisoners who were being taught how to paint, were allowed out in the area where the athletic field was.
Ever since the law, that stated that prison labor was required from all prisoners, was passed on April 23, 1829, every prisoner was given a job to do in his cell. Working was however, regarded as a privilege. Therefore, an inmate’s tools would be taken away from him if he broke the rules. During the period of time from when the prison opened n 1829, up until the time the prison was actually completed in 1836, many of the prisoners were on the construction crew and helped to complete the prison. Most of the prisoners who were employed on the construction crew were those who knew certain trades such as carpentry or bricklaying. Unskilled prisoners were simply put to work in their cells. At first, businesses throughout Philadelphia supplied the prisoners with equipment and raw materials and the prisoners produced goods for them. The prison, in return, was paid a fee for each item produced. This system was much like production work; the more the prisoners produced, the more the prison made. The workers were not paid for their labor because work was considered a privilege. If the prisoners did not work, they had little else to do, therefore, they were probably more than happy to work for no pay. Some of the jobs the prisoners did were shoemaking, weaving, dyeing, carving, woolpacking, carriage making, tailoring, cooking, and washing.
After some time, the prisoners solely did work for the prison itself. No work was contracted out and much of the goods that were made, were sold by the warden. The warden would distribute all the goods that were produced, to anyone and everyone who would accept them. It got to the point where the goods which the inmates produced, helped pay for more than 90 percent of the prison’s expenses. The profits from the produced goods paid for such things as taxes, heating, food, wages for the guards and many other things. This continued until early in the 20th century when restrictions on prison labor were established. This new law stated that total output of certain goods were not allowed to exceed 10 percent from prison labor. For example, if 100 pairs of shoes are made and distributed by all manufacturers in Philadelphia, only 10 pairs of shoes were allowed to come from prison labor. The reason this law was created was because prisons were beginning to overflow the market in some areas of production. Many businesses could not compete with the prices offered by the prisons because the prisons did not pay their workers. The only costs the prisons had for production were the raw materials, where ordinary business people had to pay for labor along with the raw materials. After this new law was passed, Eastern State had to cut costs in many areas because they were only getting 10 percent of the income they were getting before this new law went into effect. This is when the prison began to face harder times. They would never again have the same amount of income that they had when they were able to sell all the products that the prisoners were able to produce.
Since Eastern State Penitentiary was a state prison, it was still funded by the state of Pennsylvania. Therefore, without the financial contributions of the sold products the inmates made, the prison was still able to function financially. It survived through most of the twentieth century. It was not until the late 1960s that anyone even considered closing the prison. The prison was in such terrible shape by the end of the 1960s that the only way to keep it in operation was to make major renovations. The ceilings were starting to collapse in certain places and it was extremely overcrowded. After all, by this time, the prison was more than 135 years old. To make the necessary improvements, which included adding more cell blocks, it would have cost the state of Pennsylvania more than $6 million. In 1965, governor Shafer proposed that one new prison be built somewhere on the Eastern part of Pennsylvania, to replace Eastern State. The proposed cost was to be $20 million. Three years later, the Legislature was authorized to borrow the necessary $20 million to get started on building a new prison but people opposed to this idea delayed the building of the new prison and this proposed prison was never built. On June 30, 1970, it was announced that the city of Philadelphia was going to pay the first installment of Eastern State’s rehabilitation project. The city was hoping to keep the original prison and go ahead with renovations. The city was willing to invest the first $500,000 to get the project started. It was supposedly going to cost $6 million to complete the renovations and it would cost an additional $4 million per year to keep the prison functioning. Governor Shafer did not approve of this idea.
Talks continued on the idea of building a new prison and on October 14, 1970, governor Shafer officially announced that four new prisons would be built in the state of Pennsylvania. These prisons were to be located in the Philadelphia area. The first prison was to be built at Graterford, which is about 25 miles northeast of Philadelphia. This prison was to have a capacity of 255 inmates and construction was to begin immediately to help relieve the overcrowding at Eastern State. Also, Eastern State was in such poor condition by this time that the prisoners had to be taken elsewhere as soon as possible.
As Graterford prison was being completed in 1971, prisoners from Eastern State began to be transferred there. It was not until April 14, 1971 that Eastern State was totally empty. 28 prisoners had been transferred from Eastern State to Graterford on that day. These 28 prisoners had been allowed to stay behind to help with various jobs that had to be done to officially close Eastern State for good. When these remaining 28 prisoners were taken out on the final bus, they waved good-bye to Eastern State and laughed. This was the final day that Eastern State was ever to be used as a state prison. It was supposed to be the last day that it was to be used for anything but it soon became the Center City Detention Center.
Prison riots at New Jersey State Prison at Trenton in September of that same year, 1971, forced Eastern State to open its doors once again. Due to overcrowding at the prison at Trenton, and due to the riot in September, many prisoners had to be relocated immediately. Since there was no other place for them to go, and since Eastern State was only closed a few short months earlier, it was decided that Eastern State was the best place to send them. Only this time, it was not going to be called Eastern State Penitentiary or Cherry Hill. This time, it was called the Center City Detention Center. Since it was only going to be in operation for a few months, only a few of the cell blocks were used and a small staff was hired. The people who were hired were those who were employed at the prison when it was still Eastern State. Many of the employees, including the guards, were offered jobs at Graterford. Some accepted and some declined. Those who declined were offered temporary jobs at the detention center.
Center City Detention Center was also being used to hold prisoners who were awaiting sentencing in Philadelphia and it only existed for about 8 months, and many of the prisoners were transferred to various prisons in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After that, there were many suggestions made as to what to do with the prison. Many residents in the area, wanted the prison torn down to make room for a playground and for public housing. Others wanted the prison to be renovated and made into a prison again. Others wanted it to be made into a museum. Some people even wanted it to be made into a shopping mall in 1975. Nothing ever came of any of these plans. Since the prison was declared a national historic landmark sometime in the mid 1970s, it was clear that it was to be nothing more than a site for tourists. The city of Philadelphia purchased the prison from the state of Pennsylvania in 1977 for $162,000. The Pennsylvania Prison Society of Philadelphia was put in charge of maintaining the prison and was also put in charge of promoting it. The city guaranteed in writing, that the prison will be used strictly for tours and as a museum until at least 2006. At that time, the property can legally be used for another purpose, but program director, Sean Kelley, believes it will be used only for tours and as a museum for a long time after that.
Today, the prison is used only as a tourist attraction. Thousands of people come to see the prison every summer. Tours are conducted hourly from Thursday through Sunday beginning at 10am through 6pm. Tours begin early in May and continue until Labor Day weekend. There is an admission charge of $7 per person and this fee goes to help maintain the prison. Inside the prison, there is a small museum which contains many things that were found inside the prison. The original front door is displayed in the museum. Also, a home made shank was found hidden within a roof which collapsed over the years. This shank was made by a prisoner at some time during the prison’s 140 year history. Now, this shank is also displayed in the museum.
Private tours are also available by contacting the Pennsylvania Prison Society. This prison is really amazing, and it is a part of American history. It is something that every person interested in history should see.
The prison was built to promote a system of total solitary confinement. It was believed that this system would work easily and it would reform even the worst criminals. Total solitary confinement never actually existed but the prison officials tried their best to make it work. Everyone who was caught talking was punished in some way. The attempt at total solitary confinement continued almost until the start of the 20th century. It was much harder to carry out total solitary confinement than anyone ever thought. It was too easy for the prisoners to communicate with each other because there were never enough guards to watch every prisoner. Guards only made rounds every so often and because of this, the prisoners were able to communicate as much as they wanted as long as they were quiet. This system was eventually abandoned and Eastern State functioned the same as any other prison in America. Solitary confinement was only something given out as a punishment for infractions such as attempting to escape.
Even then, it was not really solitary confinement. This solitary confinement as a punishment was not like the system used in the prison’s early years. The prisoners were allowed to talk and do other things. They simply were not allowed out of their cells for a certain amount of time. The prison was closed for good in 1971, bringing to an end a 140 year old failure. Solitary confinement has been dead for approximately 100 years. Now the prison itself is dead. The only life it has exists during the summer months for tours.
Bibliography
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Dickens, Charles (1845).
American Notes For General Circulation and Pictures From Italy.
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The Prison at Philadelphia: Cherry Hill.
New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
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Boyle, Bruce (1977, June 8). Rowhouses Could Be Built On Site of Old State Prison.
Philadelphia Bulletin.
Burkhart, Kitsi (1970, Oct. 15). Shafer Orders Plans For 4 New Prisons Here.
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Darling, Henry (1971, March 16). Couple Recall Prison Wedding.
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Davidson, Joe (1975, June 29). Boutiques, Shops Envisioned in Former Prison.
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Gibbons, T.J. (1974, Jan. 20). City Negotiating To Buy Prison in North Phila.
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Gunter, David (1977, June 7). City Unit Acts to Buy Old Jail Near Museum.
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Hine, Thomas (1981, March 8). A Wall of Resistance to the City’s Proposal.
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Jacobs, Robert (1970, April 14). ‘Cherry Hill’ Stands Quiet, Empty; Prisoners Wave
a Last Hurrah. Philadelphia Bulletin.
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Moore, Acel (1970, April 19). Fairmount Residents Want Prison ‘Down’.
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Another City Prison?. (1970, June 30). Philadelphia Bulletin.
Big House Shows Age. (1977, Jan. 13). Philadelphia Inquirer.
For Eastern State: No Sale. (1970, Nov. 27). Philadelphia Bulletin.
Guilt and Shame With Each Cell. (1980, June 9). Philadelphia Inquirer.
Jury Urges Renewal of Eastern Pen. (1970, Feb. 28). Philadelphia Bulletin.
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Prison Guard Held In Sale of Marijuana. (1964, Aug. 27). Philadelphia Bulletin.
Showering and Yoking. (1852, March 1). New York Times.
State Demands Action On New Prison Site; Threatens to Move It. (1969, Oct.1). Philadelphia Inquirer.
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SECONDARY SOURCES
Johnston, Norman (1994).
Eastern State Penitentiary: Crucible of Good Intentions.
Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Museum of Art: Department of Publications and Graphics.
Magnani, Laura (1990).
America’s First Penitentiary: A 200 Year Old Failure.
San Francisco, CA: Northern California Ecumenical Society.
Rothman, David J. (1971).
The Discovery of the Asylum.
Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.
Behind the Walls. (1995). A Guided Tour of Pennsylvania’s Eastern State Penitentiary
[Brochure].
Prison Sentences. (1995). The Prison As Site / The Prison As Subject [Brochure].