What’s Eastern State Penitentiary?

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Eastern State Penitentiary was a unique prison built in the 19th century in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was built using a revolutionary design by John Haviland which featured cell blocks radiating from a central rotunda like the spokes of a wheel; a provision that has been copied by hundreds of prisons. When it opened for business in 1990, it was the largest and most expensive building in America.

The creation of Eastern State Penitentiary was the result of decades of campaigning by a prison reform group known as the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. This organization was formed in 1787 by Dr. Benjamin Rush, a prominent physician who offered free medical care to the poor. Jails at that time were brutal places where prisoners were stripped, beaten, extorted for any human service, and left to starve if they lacked the means to pay for food. Horrified by this corruption and brutality, members of society, including people like Benjamin Franklin, have called for radical reform.

Society was greatly influenced by Quakers who believed that solitude and work would allow criminals to confront their consciences, repent, and find God. In 1821 the Pennsylvania Legislature approved funding for the new prison, which began the year following. In 1829 the state adopted a prison policy requiring absolute silence and solitary confinement, an approach that became known as the Pennsylvania system. The prison received its first inmate that year.

While much corruption and brutal treatment has been abolished, reformers have appeared oblivious to the intense psychological torture created by silent and solitary confinement. Prisoners were isolated in dark rooms with only a small skylight. They were allowed to exercise outdoors alone for one hour a day. Their food was pushed through a hole in the door and they were barred from all communication. Black hoods were placed over their heads whenever they left their cells to prevent any communication with another human.

The code of silence was strictly enforced by guards at Eastern State Penitentiary, and infractions resulted in harsh punishments. Disobedient inmates were doused in ice water and hung on an outside wall overnight. If the infractions continued, they could be left without food and water for days, tied to a chair with narrow leather straps that prevented any movement. This punishment became known as the mad chair due to the number of inmates who went insane while thus confined. Prisoners were also punished by being locked up for weeks in a dark pit.

The harshest treatment was meted out to detainees who, desperate for human contact, repeatedly broke rules prohibiting communication. The prisoner’s wrists were chained behind his back, and then the chain was connected to an iron gag that was attached to his tongue. If he attempted to move, the gag would have pulled at his tongue, causing heavy bleeding. Records indicate that at least one prisoner bled to death as a result of this treatment.
In time, the Pennsylvania system was abandoned and inmates were allowed to work, communicate, and eat together. During the 1930s, rioting broke out in response to overcrowding and poor conditions. After the largest prison riot to date occurred at Eastern State Penitentiary in 1961, the Pennsylvania penal system began moving inmates to newer facilities. The obsolete buildings were in such a state of disrepair that they closed permanently in 1971.

Although Eastern State Penitentiary has been declared a National Historic Site, it has been abandoned for several years. In 1980, the city purchased the building, and worked with various charities over the next decade to restore portions of the structure. Several areas have been repaired and an art gallery has been opened in one of the old cell blocks. The prison is open every day for public visits.

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