WE GO TO JAIL

Once you leave the Philadelphia Museum of Art, it’s time to turn yourself in, and what better place than the Eastern State Penitentiary, just a few blocks over from the museum. It is situated in the heart of the area on a busy city street of local establishments and was there way before anything else, being the oldest state prison in the US!

Situated on Fairmount Avenue, it is a massive stone complex built to incarcerate prisoners and keep them in. Built in 1822 and opened in 1829, its outer wall is a half-mile in length. It closed in 1971.

“Each cell was made of concrete and had a single skylight, and therefore the prisoner only had the light from heaven to work with, the word of God (the Bible), and honest work such as shoe making, weaving, etc, to lead them to penitence. The cells were also centrally heated, with running water and a flush toilet, which were better conditions than at the White House at the time. The thirty-foot barrel vaulted ceilings of the prison were designed to reflect a church-like atmosphere, and ESP was likened to a kind of forced monastery, a machine of reform. Many officials came to Philadelphia to study the prison's architecture and methods; more than 300 prisons around the world were adopted after its plan. Tourists also flocked to witness the prison as an architectural wonder (over 10,000 in 1858 alone), and many began to criticize the solitary confinement methods being used; most vocal were the arguments that the solitude was causing mental distress instead of helping the prisoner’s reform. Eventually ESP discontinued the system in 1913.”

-The ESP website

The main attraction was the cell that Al Capone resided in. With all the luxuries one could have for a prison, it was here he was sent when he feared for his life. In the photo you see the secretary, lamp, rugs and furnishing you won’t see in any of the other cells. It is only one of two cells that are located in a lesser-secured area. When he left the joint, over 500 people crowded the only exit, which served as the only entrance also, on Fairmount Avenue to cheer on the man responsible for murder, racketeering, and extortion, as he was released.

Tourist stand in front of the cell, to have their picture taken, eager to show they have been there. The cell entrance is as wide as a man, but very short, one must stoop to enter, so that standing in front of it you look like you are standing in front of a stone wall, blocking any hint that there is a cell behind you. But it is hysterical to watch them pose.

When I proposed the idea of seeing the prison, TLW (The Little Woman) wasn’t too keen on the idea but gave it a try, and she toughly enjoyed her visit. It is worth the time to go to, to picture what life is like behind bars and the sense of hopelessness one has once you enter the only entrance and exit at the place.

So we did our time in the big house, and unlike Barney and Clyde who never got to prison, we walked out free. If you have teenagers, this is a great place to take them to, it gives them an idea of what rebellion eventually brings.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, JENNIFER BOGDAN!
Sorry I forgot to mention it, but Uncle Joe is losing it. Hope you enjoyed the day.