Eastern States Penitentiary: Today, Yesterday and Overhead
One of the advantages of travelling without reservations and with few actual fixed dates is that we can change our minds when the circumstances or our moods change. We had planned to visit Bartram's Garden ( www.bartramsgarden.org ) but decided that since the entire site is not open in the winter it was all that appealing to us. So, since we had never been to Winterthur, we would go there. So we went to the web to figure out which of the many tours we would take. Strike two: Winterthur was closed for the Winter. One more try: When talking with Harry about what to see and do in Philadelphia our friend Jane Becker had suggested that the Eastern States Penitentiary (ESP) ( www.easternstate.org ). Bingo (not to mix too many metaphors in one paragraph) we found a place that was open!
When it opened in 1829 ESP was the largest and most expensive public structure in the country.
Its innovative radial floor plan was the model for 300 other prisons worldwide.
The prisoners were kept in individual cells each with its own high walled exercise yard. There was no interaction with the guards or with each other. This system was supposed to instill spiritual reflection and penance. The prison closed in 1969 and was opened for tours beginning in 1988. The buildings have been stabilized and a few areas restored and there are many interpretive signs and an excellent audio tour.
The synagogue at Eastern States Penitentiary, designed and built by the inmates in the space of three cells, has been restored to its mid 20th century appearance. Although the materials the prisoners had was scrap wood, they managed to create the essence of synagogue decor of the era. The text in the exhibit panels talks about the incongruity between the crimes the prisoners had committed and their faith: in opposition to each other, but both very real.
Prisoners fought in the wars that occurred during the 130 years ESP was open. The plaque honoring the inmates that died in World War I identifies those who died with their numbers.
One cell block features photographs of inmates and guards while the audio tour delivers their actual remembrances.
A visit to ESP is a somber experience. You will be forced to travel through several centuries of experiments in how to manage, punish, rehabilitate, and even help prisoners. In the United States we have not made anywhere near the progress on this issue as we have made in over two centuries progress in almost all other aspects of life. It was encouraging that the last major exhibit addressed this issue, leading with one proven mechanism for change: there is a major piece of the closing exhibit encouraging and helping people who have witnessed this prison to register to vote.
After our tour of the Penitentiary we began our drive south to Charlottesville, VA. Just before D.C. we left Interstate 95 and took state roads through the rolling countryside with views of the mountains off to our left. It was a lovely drive.