Haunted for the Holidays: Revisiting Eastern State Penitentiary.

The gray, chilly December morning was entirely appropriate to my most recent visit to Eastern State Penitentiary. Foreboding stone walls, bedecked with holiday decorations were the instant tableau for this Mecca for ghost hunting. Despite living near Philadelphia, I hadn’t visited for about 20 years, and I was excited to see all of the positive changes at this historic site since then.

Roofs and skylights are now water-tight, many trip hazards have been eliminated and many areas are wheelchair accessible. These changes alone were a huge undertaking for ESP Historic Site, Inc, the non-profit that manages the Prison.  The Penitentiary opened in 1819 and sat vacant from 1971 until 1989.

But much more has happened to enhance the visitor experience since the non-profit took over. Guided tours are offered daily. For those wishing to explore at their own speed, headphones and a digital player are offered at no cost. Informational sign boards that used to be limited to display areas near the entrance are now more numerous, and are now spread throughout the visiting area. More of the radial wards have been opened for exploration. Artist installations are sprinkled along some of the corridors, giving new perspectives to incarceration, crimes, and victims of crime. There are still special events for Halloween, of course!

A few things have been lost in the 21st Century, however. The poetry of the 200 year old buildings that fell into disrepair and the rawness of abandonment is harder to find. Those qualities used to be overwhelming. They often helped me to feel the gloomy history of the place and the desperation of those who were incarcerated there. This time around, I visited with someone who was keen on ghosts and haunted places, and she was disappointed to feel only a tinge of spiritual presence during our 2 hour exploration at Eastern State. I still feel spirits most profoundly in the section near Al Capone’s former cell.  

It is easy to order tickets online. Children, students and geezers like me even get in at a discount. Except for special events, there are no timed entrances, but guided tours are on a schedule. So whether you want to go skulking around for gangster ghosts or commiserating with the 2 million prisoners currently incarcerated in America, use a gloomy weather day to visit Eastern State.