Maybe it’s just because I am a law abiding citizen, but I think prisons are pretty creepy in general. Maybe it’s the barbed wire fences, maybe it’s the road signs warning you not to pick up hitchhikers, or maybe it’s just my imagination running away with the horrible crimes committed by those inside.
But, can an abandoned prison be even creepier? Maybe, especially if it reportedly haunted!
The Eastern State Penitentiary is located in Philadelphia. It opened in 1829 and held bad guys behind bars until it closed in 1971. Then, it was abandoned. For 20 years, the prison just sat there and deteriorated. It was home to stray animals and even trees in some of the cell blocks.
Eventually, the city did what many cities do – they spiffed up the place a bit and turned it into a museum. But, according to some, there are ghosts, perhaps those of prisoners past that still haunt the place.
The guys from “Ghost Hunters” visited the prison and claim to have caught on video a shadowy figure on the catwalk. EVPS (electronic voice phenomenon) have been recorded there. One of the more famous, or should I say infamous, inmates housed there was Al Capone. While there, Capone told other inmates that he was haunted by the ghost of James Clark, a man murdered during the St. Valentine’s Day massacre, for which Capone was responsible.
Since the early ‘40s, both employees and prisoners alike have complained about unusual happenings in the prison. People have heard voices and laughter in Cellblock 12 while others claim that Cellblock 4 is the home of ghostly figures. Many have heard ghostly footsteps when no one is around. One locksmith, who was at the prison to fix some cell doors, felt eyes watching him. When he turned around, a shadowy figure jumped from one cell to the next. This prison is a far cry from Elvis’ Jailhouse Rock!
If you are near Philly and in the mood to be scared, the prison hosts an annual “Terror Behind the Walls” fundraiser. You can hear more about the prison haunting or even visit the 3-D haunted house.
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