2008 Regular Season Kicks Off With Rare Glimpse of Long Abandoned Synagogue

Mar 5, ’08

It has been more than three and half decades since the last Jewish service at Eastern State Penitentiary, but the small synagogue, tucked into an alleyway off Cellblock 7, still feels like a holy place. The Readers’ Table still faces the arc, the room is still lined with benches, and sunlight still falls through the skylights onto the tile floor. But very few people—aside from a handful of archeologists, preservationists, and funders--have seen the room during the past 35 years. It has never been open to the public.

Eastern State Penitentiary’s beautiful, long-abandoned synagogue opens to the public for the first time ever, and for one weekend only.

Reservations are strongly recommended for the Lost Synagogue Tours. Call (215) 236-5111 x14.

For more information about the synagogue and the Lost Synagogue Weekend visit our events page.

Construction Begins on Cellblock 7

Mar 4, ’08

The replacement of three massive skylights is the first step in
Stabilizing Cellblock 7. The sole remaining skylight is currently being
conserved and restored and will be used as the model to create two new matching skylights.

The clerestory sections below the frames will be reconstructed and clad in
galvanized steel. Because Cellblock 7 is surrounded by other buildings on
three sides, it is impossible for a crane to lift the skylights from the
ground directly onto the clerestories on the cellblock roof. Architects
from S. Harris and Co. came up with a unique solution to solve this
dilemma by the creation of a rail system which will allow the crews to maneuver the skylights into place.

In January, workers from Munn Roofing Corp. and S&S Quality Services Inc., constructed a rail system on the roof of Cellblock 7. Meanwhile Ironworkers from Northeast Fencing fabricated the two matching skylights in their shop and then assembled them at Eastern State. Once the skylight frames are ready and the clerestories complete by S& S Quality Services, Inc., a crane will be brought into the site to lift the frames up to the rail system – where they will be rolled across and secured to the clerestories. Finally, everything will be reglazed and the rail system will be removed. Once this phase of the project is complete in April, construction will begin on replacing the roofing structure of the cellblock with a new “Duraslate” roof, guaranteed to last 50 years.

The Cellblock 7 stabilization project is made possible with historic grants from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Grant Program - Honorable Governor Edward Rendell, City of Philadelphia Cultural Corridors Fund, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Heritage Philadelphia Program, supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts; and from proceeds from Eastern State’s annual Halloween Fundraiser Terror Behind the Walls (2005 and 2006).

Notable Inmates Section Added to Website

Jan 23, ’08

(January, 2008) While many visitors are familiar with some of Eastern State’s more notorious inmates, like Al Capone of Willie Sutton, most of the over 80,000 men and women that served time during the penitentiary’s 142 years of operation remain a mystery. The majority of Eastern State’s inmates were far from famous, though many do have very interesting stories to tell. For example, after his release, Charles Yerkes went on to help design and finance public transportation systems in Chicago and London.

Francis X. Dolan, Eastern State Penitentiary Site Manager and author of the Images of America book Eastern State Penitentiary, has created a Notable Inmates Page on the website. This new page currently contains information about eight inmates. In the coming months, Mr. Dolan will continue to add information about additional inmates and may even expand the section to include information about Officers and staff.

ESP Documentary to Premier at Park City Film Music Festival

Jan 23, ’08

(January, 2008) Eastern State: Living Behind The Walls, a documentary highlighting Eastern State Penitentiary's history and current imprisonment policies, will have its world premier at the fifth annual Park City Film Music Festival in Utah on January 21, 2008. The festival is the first in the world created to recognize the contribution of composers and their music to film. Awards are given to films featured at the festival based on their categories. Eastern State: Living Behind The Walls, directed by Philadelphia native Tony Alosi, with music composed by Cody Westheimer, will be competing for Best Use of Music in a Documentary Film.

For more information on the film or to view the trailer visit the Eastern State: Living Behind The Walls website.

For more information on the Park City Film Music Festival visit www.parkcityfilmmusicfestival.com.

Winter Adventure Tours Expanded

Jan 16, ’08

(January, 2008)

An hour-long tour of the beautiful, winter cellblocks with an expert guide and a cup of hot chocolate!

Our new Winter Adventure Tours have been so popular that we have added additional tours. Our expanded Winter Tour Schedule is:

Reservations are strongly recommended for weekend tours. Tickets can be reserved by phone: (215) 236-3300, or purchased at the door, subject to availability.

ESP Hires First Assistant Director for Development

Jan 16, ’08

(January, 2008) In January 2008, Eastern State Penitentiary made its nineth addition to the full time staff: our new Assistant Director for Development Elyssa Kane.

Elyssa has worked with nonprofits in the Philadelphia region for more than 20 years. At Eastern State Penitentiary, she is bringing together her development experience with her previous museum experience at institutions such as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. She most recently worked for 5½ years with Opportunity Finance Network, a national organization working to increase economic opportunity and provide financing to low-income communities. Prior to that, she provided development and strategic planning services to a variety of human service, educational, and environmental organizations. Elyssa earned her MBA from Georgetown University and her BA in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania.

2008 Events Calendar Announced

Jan 15, ’08

(January, 2008) Our complete 2008 event schedule is now available. Here are a few highlights:


* 2008 Artist Reception: May 9
* Alumni Reunion: May 17
* Prison Food Weekend: June 21 and 22
* Bastille Day: July 12
* Terror Behind the Walls: Sept. 19 - Nov. 1, select nights

Please see our events page for event times, pricing and details.

Fallen ESP Officer Honored

Jan 11, ’08

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site's records reveal at least three instances where staff members lost their lives in the line of duty. On June 24, 2007, The Correctional Peace Officers Foundation recognized one such officer, Edwin H. Lichtenberger, as part of the Annual National Memorial Service for Fallen Correctional Officers and Personnel of the Year 2006. The foundation presented Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site with a plaque in honor of Lichtenberger who was killed by an inmate in 1944.

On July 17, 1944 at 4:30 AM, inmate D-1264 Steven Saunders escaped from his cell by cutting the sliding bar on his cell door in Cellblock 5. He left a bundle of blankets and a dummy head in his bed to fool the guards on patrol and joined a group of inmate kitchen workers passing through his cellblock on their way to their work detail.

From the kitchen yard, Saunders planned to climb to the roof where he would throw an anchor over the outside wall and use a pulley system he had constructed to carry him to the top of the wall. He then intended to lower himself to freedom using a rope made from rags. To draw the attention of the guards away from his activities on the roof and in the yard, Saunders fashioned an electrical device that would start a delayed fire in the psychiatrist's office.

However, when the electrical device did not ignite the papers Saunders laid beneath it, the kitchen yard was still guarded, and he was unable to carry his plan any further. Warden Herbert Smith believed that Saunders realized discovery was inevitable and described Saunders' final acts as "the answers to despair and the actions of a desperado frustrated."

Shortly after 6:00 AM Guard Edwin H. Lichtenberger was attacked with a hatchet by Steven Saunders. Saunders struck Lichtenberger several times in the head with the weapon before fleeing to the old library room where he took his own life with a contraband knife. Alerted by the disturbance, several guards came to Lichtenberger's aid and rushed him to the penitentiary's hospital. Lichtenberger was later taken to the University Hospital where he died twelve hours after the attack. He was survived by his wife and two children.

Although three guards as well as Deputy Warden Meikrantz and Warden Smith were later held by the Board of Trustees to be negligent in their duties, Lichtenberger himself was never mentioned as being at fault in any of the reports available at Eastern State Penitentiary. In fact, Warden Smith said, "He was an excellent officer, one in whom I had the utmost confidence." The warden further lamented Lichtenberger's death, remarking, "His brutal murder was a severe shock. One that can never be forgotten. It will stand out, a tragic picture, pointing the way to greater effort."

To our knowledge, the presentation of this plaque by The Correctional Peace Officers Foundation is the first official recognition of Edwin Lichtenberger's sacrifice to the field of corrections. The plaque will further guarantee that he will never be forgotten, and ensure continued effort toward penological improvement.

Help us save the hospital solarium

Jan 11, ’08

(December, 2007) You’ve probably never seen the inside of our beautiful, fascinating hospital wing, Cellblock Three. It’s been open for visitors only two days since we opened for tours in 1994. On that cold November weekend of this year, hundreds of our Members and their friends filled those tours beyond capacity.

The tours were incredible. Our programming staff mapped a route that bridged Eastern State’s entire history, using the medical treatment of inmates as the unifying theme. The tour included the operating rooms and recovery rooms, the Apothecary and Cell 40, an isolation chamber for inmates with psychological problems. And the tour contained a lot of information about tuberculosis, the disease that killed Eastern State’s Inmate No. 19 in 1830 (the first death in the building), and plagued the institution during much of its history. We even discussed the widespread return of tuberculosis to prisons, as the illness has spread to become the second most deadly disease in American prisons today.

We received many kind notes and emails from Members and friends on those tours, saying how enriching the experience was. So why not allow all our visitors to explore the hospital block?

The hospital is in dire shape. A “solarium” built to combat tuberculosis in 1922 sits on top of the cellblock, and its weight and leaking roof are creating severe damage to the building below. We were even forced to distribute hard hats when our visitors toured the block this fall.

But you can help! Our architect has designed a solution to protect and stabilize the solarium and the hospital below, and now we are raising $104,000 complete the work. Please see our Saving E.S.P. page to see how you can help with this critical project.

Eastern State Penitentiary Seeks Artists for 2009 Season

Dec 4, ’07

Each year, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site puts out a call to artists interested in submitting applications for a site-specific installation at the site. The deadline for artist proposals for the 2009 season will be on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 5:00 pm.

Eastern State Penitentiary now provides funding on two tracks: Exhibition Approval and Proposal Development. Proposals and deadlines for the two types of funding are nearly identical. Examples of successful proposals from previous years and a list of important dates, including the dates and times of Art Orientation Tours, can be found in the 2009 Guidelines for Artists' Proposals (Download: | ).