America’s Most Historic Prison
So fascinating and haunting to imagine what took place within these walls. Today it is mostly in ruins, but Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world.
It is open for tours of the haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Shafts of daylight pour into each cell. which must have been a torturous reminder of the outside world so close yet so unattainable for its inhabitants. Located in the Fairmont section of the city, its cells once held many of America’s most notorious lawbreakers, including Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton.
Next stop Philadelphia Naval Yard
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