Penitentiaries are a type of prison that are mainly built to hold inmates convicted of felonies and serious crimes. The Eastern State Penitentiary was founded in 1829, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It mainly opened as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of people who were convicted of crimes worthy of solitary confinement or “confinement with solitude or labor.” The penitentiary quickly became the most expensive and most copied building in the young United States. A recurring issue with the penitentiary was a rising opioid issue outside of the penitentiary in the first half of the 20th century.
Countless people arrived in the penitentiary due to their addiction to opioids, morphine, and later, heroin. In the second half of the 20th century, occurring in the year 1970, the penitentiary decided to close its doors due to the recurring riots, a breakdown of the “separate system,” and a thousand more prisoners than the penitentiary was originally constructed to handle.
Meet the youngest inmate in the Eastern State Penitentiary: John Maxfield. He was an 11-year-old Black boy. He was convicted in 1840 and served five years inside of the penitentiary for a count of arson. Although five years later, he would serve an extra year for larceny – theft of personal property. John Maxfield was not the only young inmate to serve time at Eastern State Penitentiary.
There were 294 counts of juveniles and young inmates ranging from 11 to 20-years-old from 1833 to 1850 for crimes ranging from arson, larceny, rioting, and even murder. Both girls and boys were imprisoned at the penitentiary. The overrepresentation of Black children and youth tells its own unique story. The Black population in Pennsylvania in 1840 was 3% of the total population of the state, although the Black population made up 32% of the penitentiary’s total population. Black youth were likely to have more harsher sentences due to the time period.
The penitentiary shut down in 1971, but it’s still open for tours between the hours of 10am until 5pm Wednesdays through Mondays. The penitentiary is mainly used as a museum and attraction, as tickets are still available for purchase till this day. It was the most infamous and most expensive penitentiary in terms of budget and construction. The newest most expensive penitentiary is the supermax penitentiary at 540 million dollars in construction.
The penitentiary’s legacy is well known at Kennard-Dale, as several students and staff members know the prison well. When asked about Eastern State, here are what # people from KD have had to say:
- Did you go to the Eastern State Penitentiary? If so, what was it like?
Quoted by KD Staff Member Melissa Grove.
“Yes, I went about 10 years ago. It is very eerie and also very rundown, but it’s a great place for photography, especially black and white photography. When I went, it was a bit foggy and overcast, so that made it even creepier. It’s also really interesting that the prison is basically in the middle of the city, surrounded by modern buildings. The prison’s design is very gothic and looks like a castle, which is cool.” – Melissa Grove, 9th grade English teacher at Kennard-Dale
- Did you see or interact with any Paranormal Activity?
Quoted by KD Staff Member, Laura Drinan.
I don’t believe I had any explicit encounters with any paranormal activity. I watched an episode of “Ghost Adventures” once, where the crew went to Eastern State Penitentiary and collected heaps of evidence. One weird thing, though, was that after I left, I looked at all of the photos on my phone, and a lot of my friends in the pictures were blurry.
- Do you know any facts or any history about the penitentiary?
Quoted by KD Staff Member, Melissa Grove.
Yes, I know about the wagon spoke design, the “eye of God” skylight in each cell, the institution’s original purpose (penitence and self-reflection), and the overcrowding and poor conditions that quickly took over. I also know that the most famous prisoner was Al Capone and that he had a very fancy jail cell during his short stint at Eastern State.
- Would you stay overnight in the penitentiary by yourself for 50,000$, knowing its history and the overbearing fact that it’s likely the most haunted place in the world?
Quoted by KD Staff Member Ryan Rupp.
“Who wouldn’t do that in today’s economy? That’s like 4 thousand an hour.”
- John Maxfield was the youngest inmate in the penitentiary at 11 years old in 1840 for Arson. It was normal for young inmates in the penitentiary for around 20 years. Why do you think this is wrong?
Quoted by KD Student Andrew McGraw
I believe this is wrong because kids make mistakes, they’re young and their brains aren’t fully developed so they shouldn’t be punished as severely as adults. Children and teens who commit crimes should not be punished with prison time because it depreciates their development, they should be punished with community service to teach them better morals and the effects of their actions on society.
- Do you agree or disagree with the closing of the penitentiary?
Quoted by KD Staff Member Melissa Grove
I think they had good intentions when they opened Eastern State, but prison conditions devolved over time, and it was clear that the prison either needed to be renovated/expanded or closed permanently. Plus, because it is located right in the city, I don’t think it would make sense to have an active penitentiary there at this time.
- There were over 50 suicides in the penitentiary, why do you think that is?
Quoted by KD Student Mikey Shaver
They committed really serious crimes, and most of them were addicted to drugs. They would be in it for the rest of their lives and would rather die than be there forever.
