THE HISTORY:

Eastern State was born in 1829 with the opening of it's doors to prisoners bound for the newly legislated solitary confinement. A concept that took nearly 3 decades to bring into action, this new method of punishment for law breakers was intended as a way to greatly encourage introspection, regret and penance (thus 'penitentiary'). For prisoners brought to ESP they faced not the common cattle-pen style incarceration and harsh physical punishments but instead the would remain completely isolated from their peers. They were housed in small cells with solid doors they had to duck to get in to, enjoying only what natural light that made it's way into the cells, close quarters and no contact whatsoever with other prisoners. If removed from their cells for any reason they were fitted with a hood to prevent outside contact as well as any knowledge of their surroundings. If they asked for a way to pass the time they were handed a Bible or given 'honest' production type work. They were allowed no contact with the outside world.

The building itself was designed and built with the intent of striking fear and the beginnings of regret the moment it came into view. The walls rise to 30 foot heights surrounding 11 acres of property, the medieval facade bringing to mind every horror story one cringed from as a child. Even today you can well imagine Vlad the Impaler behind the forbidding gates. However once inside the features bring to mind the image of the grandest churches with it's high vaulted ceilings, arched passages, gates and doors and tall narrow windows. A steel gate shows a cross built into it as part of the design - one of many crosses and religious symbols built into the design due the Quaker influence. Indeed it's design is incredibly adept - fear on the outside and penance on the inside.

Additionally it's original schematic was unique and it's 'wagon wheel' design became much copied. The seven 'spokes' could all be viewed from the central hub by guards. It was incredibly modern for it's time with such amenities as running water (something even the White House didn't have at the time!). With it's radical design and approach to punishment of crime it became a focal point for tourists, philosophers and lawmakers alike. The new system was left behind by 1913, however ESP continued. Modern improvements and additions continued (addition of cell blocks, production areas, dining halls, guard towers and more). Cells now held multiple prisoners and they freely interacted. With it's continued growth cell blocks were now added on a second level with steep steps and catwalks. No longer could each cell be seen by a central guard in the rotunda. In the late 1950's it's last addition was made - Death Row. By 1971 - in need of expensive renovation, ESP was closed down. Over the next 20 years it sat by turns abandoned, threatened and finally salvaged as the historical landmark it is. The first tours through this piece of American history began in 1994. Since then it has seen over a quarter million visitors and is now protected and operated by a nonprofit organization.

Another tidbit of history, perhaps more entertaining to us since we would be working with our own sighting dog. Pep the black Labrador was an inmate here. The claim is that Pep was sentenced to life in prison by then Governor Pinchot (1924) for the murder of his wife's cat. Others say Pep was donated to raise moral. Perhaps he just wandered in. Whatever the case, Pep was assigned an inmate number and remained 'incarcerated' at ESP.

If you are afforded the opportunity to tour this unique place go for it. It is well worth the time to explore (you can wander certain areas of the grounds or take a guided tour) and - just for a moment - touch history.

THE LEGENDS:

Is it haunted?

Al Capone's cell is still there, redecorated as he was allowed to have it during his short tenure. It is claimed that he was tormented by ghosts and could be heard at night calling out to them to leave him alone.

Remember that Willie Sutton lost his life along with almost a dozen other men when they had the poor judgment to attempt an escape and the tunnel they dug became their grave for a moment in time.

A stairway to a guard tower has been the site of several people being apparently accosted by something or someone that pushes.

Their were no formal executions at ESP. Still, more then one person lost not just their freedom here, but also their life sometimes in tortuous conditions.

Modern day reports include a spectral guard, voices from the past and physical contact.

THE INVESTIGATION:

On June 7, 2003 at 11:30 PM we entered Eastern State for our first time. Although familiar with the basic history, we tried to eliminate any history or 'ghost stories' that would affect our perceptions. A part of the filming did include a guided tour and history by Troy Taylor.

Given our naturally curious tendencies ('What's that' and 'Why' being two of our favorite queries), the huge prison was far more interesting then frightening to us. As soon as the walking tour ended and were were 'turned loose' the 3 Seven members immediately gravitated to the one place that was not on the 'allowed' list (nor was it included in the guided tour) - the guard tower over Cell Block 6. With at least one member insistent that this was the place that was most active, a dog that was reacting in a manner consistent with paranormal activity and an enthusiastic film crew we gained permission from the prison employee as well as some cautionary information about which areas were unsafe. We accessed the tower through a gate between Cell Blocks 7 and 6. As soon as Jim started up the stairway an orb was captured on film right behind him. A curious spirit? Leftover energy? Or some dust?

Above the two story cell block is a guard tower overlooking the yard. Accessible only by a small, curving staircase it is relatively isolated. Almost immediately small anomalies occurred. Two members felt as if something approached them from behind, one felt as if they were in imminent danger of being pushed. A audio recorder was being used to document times, activity and any possible normal causes (i.e. approach of someone on the stairway). While one member was alone and recording information a male voice speaks over her and refers to a 'dog barking'. Within the same time frame a brief brilliant light appeared with no explanation found. There was no one else in the tower or the stairway at the time. Our dog reacted consistently with paranormal activity and refused to go all the way up the stairway. Even on the ground floor of the cell block he resorted to growling at one point when we would not move away from the empty area he was reacting to.

As most who saw him can attest to, our dog Abe is not generally easily bothered. In fact he stretched out twice during the night for a good nap oblivious to the film crew, surrounding prison or anything else. His reactions are generally quiet consistent with periods we capture anomalies on tape or film. And he was clearly bothered by this guard tower.

We spent the better part of the night working in different areas, generally poking around and hoping for something interesting. Since there was a relatively large group of people rotating, not to mention staff and film crew we didn't really hold out hope of getting a good deal of activity. If it was there, there was a good chance it would be missed in the organized chaos. However two places did yield small but noticeable anomalies. The first was in one of the cell block exits where two possible orbs where capture on 35mm film. The second was in what is commonly called "the Hole" - the solitary confinement cell block The exterior still stands, though only one isolation cell inside is now complete. It is indeed a tiny isolated cell with no room to do anything but sit and think. As soon as we approached the doorway of the cell block, Abe reacted strongly and adversely. Inside he again reacted. (One has to wonder what he thinks when he tells us there is something potentially unpleasant and we insist on going inside anyway!) Two separate EMF meters gave very high readings and regular fluctuations in a building that should have no source or cause. Close checking of the now empty pipes that run through the building did not provide any positive cause of the readings, nor where the film crew's equipment the cause based on our elimination via testing each piece of equipment against each piece of filming equipment. At this time these readings are listed as anomalous, possibly but not definitively paranormal.

Early the next morning during a group gathering to exchange information and notes with other investigators present, we discovered an interesting correlation we had not been aware of. According to prison staff members, below the stairs to the guard tower had previously been a room that house the prison psychologist at one time. An incarcerated patient with severe anger issues murdered one staff psychologist in that room. The room is now sealed off and inaccessible. In addition a previous film producer came down from the same tower a few years ago claiming to have been pushed from behind while descending the stairway. Does a prisoner's spirit remain, taking out his anger on those unwary enough to climb the stairway over the scene of his horrific act? If he does he showed himself to members of another team who briefly felt and saw something in the same area they could not immediately explain.

Overall while it was not as active as one might think (or hope for) what we did gather was enough to pique the interest. The opportunity to work within Eastern State was greatly enjoyed and we would enjoy such an opportunity again. Ideally we would love the opportunity to spend more time working to document every possible obvious cause, mapping every square inch and THEN working to gather possible paranormal evidence. Do we think it's haunted? We think it's very possible.

EVP:

• "Dog Barking" (146 Kb)
  Janet was logging audio and over her is a man's voice that notes a "dog barking". She was alone in the watchtower with the closest person one floor below. It's interesting there WAS another dog barking far off in the distance according to her logs, though it was not caught on any of our audio equipment.

LINKS:

• Eastern State Penitentiary web site
  
  
• Solitary Confinement by Troy Taylor