22: Eastern State Penitentiary

Insomniacs: The Podcast

Originally named Cherry Hill State Prison, the Eastern State Penitentiary is an American gothic-style prison in Philadelphia and is considered to be the first true penitentiary in the United States. They built the prison to look like a Cathedral in hopes the prisoners would find enlightenment, find God, and reform. But that doesn’t mean the prison was void of any torturous regimens on the prisoners inside. There were physical and psychological torture practices conducted such as dousing prisoners in freezing water outside during winter, chaining their tongues to their wrists, in which struggling would cause their tongues to tear, or even throwing the inmates in a place called "the Hole", where prisoners would be in an underground cell with no sunlight and human interaction. Some notable criminals were housed at the prison at the time it was open, such as infamous mobster, Al Capone. Although the prison never put anyone to death... technically, there have been plenty of murders or suicides on the grounds to cause a ton of ghostly activities on the premises, and is definitely considered one of the most haunted places around.
Stay safe out there, friends and stay spooky!!
Big shout out to our producer, Sean! Thank you for all that you do!!

SOURCES:

Solitary Confinement Facts | American Friends Service Committee (afsc.org)

The Incarcerated Ghosts of Eastern State Penitentiary (amyscrypt.com)

Is Eastern State Penitentiary Really Haunted? : NPR

Eastern State Penitentiary - Wikipedia

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