Eastern State Penitentiary – Philadelphia’s Gothic Prison of Nightmares
Did you know that one of America’s most expensive buildings of the 19th century was designed to drive inmates insane rather than rehabilitate them? Eastern State Penitentiary opened its intimidatingly heavy doors 190 years ago. At the time of its construction, it was the most expensive and elaborate public structure of its time. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells held nearly 85,000 people over its long history, including bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton and “Scarface” Al Capone. Chicago gangster Al Capone spent eight months locked up in Eastern State Penitentiary. Apparently, the…..