Students Study Art and Architecture At ESP

Aug 21, ’07

Art has always been a part of Eastern State's culture; from inmate drawings
on cell walls and inmate murals in the Catholic Chaplain's office, to
modern architectural photography and artist installations.

In the spring of 2007, landscape painting students from Sudio Incamminati
practiced painting their architectural impressions - under the direction of
instructors Darren Kingsley and Kerry Dunn - among the beautiful, crumbling
structures that make up Eastern State Penitentiary.

Get Paid to Scare People in Prison!

Aug 20, ’07

Halloween isn't just one night at Eastern State Penitentiary. Our acclaimed event, Terror Behind the Walls presented by Lukoil, runs 26 nights from September 21 to November 3. Lot's of planning and training take place in September. Auditions and interviews are currently being held for actors, ticket handlers, line staff, box office/retail staff and storytellers. These jobs are demanding, and FUN. Many people return year after year to join our "Scream Team!" Pay starts at $8.00 per hour, more for management positions.

All staff MUST be over 18 and pass a background check. Eastern State Penitentiary is an equal opportunity employer.

For additional information, including audition dates and times, please visit our Terror Behind the Walls Hiring Page.

UPDATE: Oral Histories Appeal

Aug 20, ’07

Eastern State Penitentiary has contracted History Association Inc. to record the oral histories of ESP’s former inmates, guards, and staff. By the end of August, the memories from three former inmates, ESP’s last Rabbi, the Print Shop Supervisor, and two ESP psychologists will have been documented and recorded. In Fall 2007, Eastern State hopes to be able to fund and execute plans for at least six additional oral history records.

Interviews with former inmates, guards, and staff are essential to understanding what day-to-day life was like at the prison. Although the Eastern State Penitentiary Task Force recorded ninety hours of oral histories in the early 1990's, more than one hundred people with unrecorded histories remain.

For more information, click here >>

Old Friend Passes Away

Aug 20, ’07

Richard Griffin, better known simply as "Griff", began is career at Eastern State Penitentiary in 1953. A Korean War vet, he worked at Eastern State as a guard up until 1969, just before the penitentiary closed, when he transferred to S.C.I Graterford in Montgomery County where he continued as a correction officer until he retired from the PA Prison system.

In the late 1980's, when plans for a tour program as Eastern State were in their earliest stages, Griff was one of the first "Alumni" to return to the site. Griff was a gifted speaker and easily captivated visitors with his vivid stories of life behind the walls. He had a photographic memory and could easily recall an inmate’s name when a record only listed the number.

In 1992, he was interviewed for the penitentiary's first oral history program and in 1996 he was prominently featured in the History Channel's Big House program about Eastern State. For over a decade, he was a regular at many Eastern State events, including our annual alumni reunion, and appeared in several other television specials.

A few years ago Griff moved out of Philadelphia, making it harder for him to attend events at the penitentiary, but he made sure to continue to stay in touch with the historic site staff with regular phone calls reminiscing about the old days and keeping up to date with happenings at the historic site.

Griff passed away on July 17, 2007. We will miss him.

Portions of his 1992 oral history can be heard by visitors today on the "Voices of Eastern State" audio tour.

New Book By Francis X Dolan called: Eastern State Penitentiary

Jul 31, ’07

The new book by Francis X Dolan titled: Eastern State Penitentiary, will be released on Monday, August 13th, and will feature over 200 rare photographs and images from the Penitentiary's last 231 years of history. Many of the photographs in this book have recently been donated to the historic site by former officers and inmates and have never before been seen by the public.

Visitors interested in meeting the author, Francis X Dolan, and having their book signed, are welcome join us on Wednesday, August 15th for a book signing. For this day only, Historic Site and event admission is FREE with purchase of the book Eastern State Penitentiary. Stay after the signing for a special guest speaker and Summer Twilight Tours.

Terror Behind The Walls Introduces New Attraction For 2007

Jul 31, ’07

Construction is well under weigh for the 2007 season of Terror Behind the Walls, presented by Lukoil. The creative team is currently building out ambitious plans for a new attraction inside the historic Cellblock Twelve, a three-story wing added to the Eastern State Penitentiary in 1911. The Sci-Fi Channel’s program “Ghost Hunters” declared the cellblock haunted in 2005.

The new attraction will be the largest and most sophisticated design yet at Terror Behind the Walls. It will incorporate custom-built animatronic props, high tech lighting effects, digital sound and several special effects currently being designed for the space. The overall effect will create the illusion that walls of metal bars and cell doors are electrified. The name of the new attraction will be LOCK DOWN.

“The most important thing is to keep the character of the architecture,” said Jason Ohlsen, Technical Director for Terror Behind the Walls. “Whatever we add has to look like it’s been here for a hundred years, literally. And we always try to leave the building untouched, when possible. Nobody can create better set designs than the natural environments of Eastern State Penitentiary.”

Former Officers and Inmates to Speak at 1961 Prison Riot Commemoration

Jul 31, ’07

On January 8th, 1961, Eastern State Penitentiary witnessed its most violent and dangerous inmate uprising. Inmates eventually took eight officers hostage, stabbing two of them with homemade knives (both survived), and took control of the prison. They even set the records room on fire in an attempt to erase inmate identities.

On Saturday and Sunday, August 11 and 12 a special tour, retracing the sequence of events that took place throughout the prison complex during the riot will be offered at 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. each day. At 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., former inmate Bill Barns and former officer Bill Moore, both of whom were at E.S.P. during the riot, will join members of the public for an informal Q & A session.

All events are free with admission.

DarknessRadio.com/TAPS Auction Raises $8,800

Jun 1, ’07

(June, 2008) This past June, Darkness Radio and T.A.P.S., from the hit SciFi show Ghost Hunters, held a “paranormal lockdown retreat” at Eastern State Penitentiary. Over 200 people attended the sold out three day event.

TAPS Founders and lead investigators, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, led discussions about their experiences and the filming of their hit TV show, Ghost Hunters, classes about the proper use and set up of investigation equipment and, of course, a paranormal investigation of Eastern State Penitentiary.

On Friday, June 22, a Live Charity Auction, including celebrities Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson & Steve Gonsalves from Ghost Hunters, Chris Fleming of the TV show Dead Famous, paranormal legends John Zaffis and Rosemary Ellen Guiley, actor Alex Vincent, the young boy from the first 2 Child's Play movies and Dave and Tim of DarknessRadio.com was held to benefit Eastern State Penitentiary. A total of $8880 was raised.

The funds from the auction will be used for Eastern State’s Oral History Appeal – A program to record the irreplaceable memories of former inmates, guards, and staff. Their stories are essential to understanding what day-to-day life was like at the prison. We have recorded the stories of some of these eyewitnesses, but more than one hundred remain. “We were proud to be a part of this auction and have the field of the paranormal give back to the community it so lovingly studies. People really rallied behind the cause knowing that the money would help to restore such a valuable piece of history,” said Dave Schrader, host of Darkness Radio.

Darkness on the Edge of Town Paranormal Radio show can be heard live every Sunday night at www.DarknessRadio.com. Jason and Grant can be heard Live Saturday nights on www.630WPRO.com with their paranormal based radio show Beyond Reality and their show Ghost Hunters can be seen every Wednesday night on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Finding love in the Penitentiary!

May 27, ’07

(May, 2007) Sammy Prince, a Zone Manager for Terror Behind The Walls, met Art Bermudez, a TBTW Assistant Zone Manager, in 2002. It wasn’t exactly love at first fright for these two, as they awkwardly met because Sammy’s radio headset wasn’t working. Later, their fates were sealed after Art hosted a party for Sammy’s zone in his Center City home. Four dedicated seasons of Terror

Behind The Walls later, Art decided to propose to Sammy, in front of Eastern State Penitentiary! The two were married on May 27th, 2007, in Chestnut Hill.

Spooky coincidence: Program Director Sean Kelley and his girlfriend/TBTW box office member Sara Kube (pictured left) were dining at the remote Valley Green Inn on the night of Art and Sammy's wedding reception. A complete coincidence, but fitting for this couple!

We wish these two members of the Eastern State family the very, very best.

Students' Research Reveals New Information About Catholic Chaplain's Office

May 12, ’07

(May, 2007) In a collaborative effort between E.S.P. Assistant Program Director for Education Ang Reidell and Villanova Professor of History Charlene Mires, vital information about Eastern State Penitentiary's Catholic Chaplain's Office has been found, documented and recorded.

Lance Eisenhower, Hillary Kativa, and Michael Chornesky, each graduate students in Villanova's Public History Practicum, spent the last five months meticulously researching documents and scrutinizing artifacts from Eastern State Penitentiary's Catholic Chaplain's Office. The students gave their final report on Tuesday, May 8th to an inquiring audience during a reception at Jack's Fire House.

In each of the three half hour segments from the presentation, audience members learned of the many discoveries the researchers came across during their investigation. One important finding revealed an account from 1903 when 54 hooded prisoners received communion from Archbishop Patrick Ryan.

Funds are currently being raised for the stabilization and restoration of Eastern State's Catholic Chaplain's Office. This research will contribute significantly to the interpretation of the space when it is opened to the public in the future.