No Waiting #13659

The Story

These are the remains of a prison barber shop in one of the most notorious and haunted prisons in history, the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. This is a typical cell in the prison, narrow with stone walls parged with cement, a barrel roof with a single central skylight, and just bare pipes for a radiator. Over the years, the place was left to crumble and today it is considered a stabilized ruin, meaning the only repairs done are to keep it from falling down even further.

The reputation for being haunted is likely genuine. I didn’t experience anything paranormal as others may have, but something peculiar crawls under your skin when you enter and doesn’t leave for a week. I’ll just say the place made quite an impression on me and it is clearly not the normal everyday experience.

Originally, this was a state prison started in 1826 and built far outside the city limits of a young Philadelphia. The city grew around it and today the prison occupies four entire city blocks with 30-foot stone walls and guard towers on every corner. The state closed the facility in the 1980s and was abandoned for thirty years. Tall trees were growing throughout the property like a forest, even up through some cell skylights to reach sunlight. Homeless people sheltered inside for years after finding ways to break into the prison, if you can imagine that. Eastern State Pen has always been a pretty rough place.

The property was sold as-is to the city by the state, straightened up, and turned into a very interesting and unique tourist destination that is highly recommended. It is open every day of the year but two and is famous for the Halloween tours put on after dark. Don’t forget to see Al Capone’s cell which has been restored, and also be sure you’re out before they shut the doors. On my visit, I was so involved with the shooting here that I was very nearly left inside for the night!

Here’s another vertical view of the prison barber shop and chair called Time Out #13658. For the truly curious, Al Capone’s personal prison cell from his time in the Big House can be seen in Ward Of  The State #13692. You can see all the weird Eastern State Penitentiary pictures by going to the Eastern State Pen gallery.

Location: Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Picture and story © Andrew Dierks