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September 18, 2020 – November 15, 2020
Night Tours
Advanced tickets required. Select evenings, September 18 through November 15. NEW this fall! Experience our dark, abandoned cellblocks like never before. Click here for tickets, FAQs and more information.
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October 1, 2020 – October 29, 2020
Artifacts After Dark
7:00 pm, every Thursday in October. Free. Live-streamed on Facebook. Locked safely away in Eastern State Penitentiary’s climate-controlled darkroom, hundreds of artifacts rest in neatly organized drawers. Thousands of photographs fill museum storage boxes. Rare books line the shelves. Each object is an irreplaceable historic treasure that tells part of Eastern State’s complex story.
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October 6, 2020, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Second Chances: Pathways Forward in Pennsylvania
Free. Live-streamed on Facebook and via Zoom webinar.
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October 17, 2020, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Member Saturday: Writing on the Margins | Poe, Dickens, and Incarceration in Philadelphia
Members only. Registration required. Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe met for the first time in Philadelphia in 1842. Their writings revealed a shared fascination with the grim and the macabre but also an interest in exploring deeper topics like poverty, crime, and the margins of society. Tour Programs Supervisor Matt Murphy will examine the overlap between the works of Poe, Dickens, and incarceration in 19th century Philadelphia.
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November 3, 2020, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Searchlight Series: November 2020
Free. Reception to follow. Speaker to be announced.
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November 21, 2020, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Member Saturday: Indigenous People and Incarceration
Members only. Registration required. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Eastern State researcher Annie Anderson will discuss the history of Native American people incarcerated at the penitentiary, Eastern State’s relationship with the local Native American community, and how the justice system impacts Indigenous communities today.
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November 27, 2020 – December 20, 2020
Holiday Toy Drive
BOGO Admission for Anyone Who Donates. Donate a toy November 27 through December 20, 2020 in exchange for "Buy One, Get One Free" admission to Eastern State. One in 28 American kids has a parent behind bars. In Pennsylvania alone, there are approximately 81,096 children with a parent incarcerated in a PA state prison. How can we come together as a community to support families experiencing incarceration during the holidays?
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December 1, 2020, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Searchlight Series: December 2020
Free. Reception to follow. Speaker to be announced.
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December 19, 2020, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Member Saturday: Made at Eastern State
Members only. Registration required. Throughout the penitentiary’s history, people incarcerated at Eastern State made toys, such as doll clothes, chess sets, miniature cutlery, wooden figurines, model ships, and piggy banks. When the prison was operational, Eastern State’s entrance even featured a small store in which the toys and trinkets were displayed and sold.
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