Members only. Registration required. 

Please note: This Member Saturday has moved online. Register online, and you'll receive a Zoom invitation in your inbox 24 hours prior to the event.

We're bringing Soup Alley to your home. Join President and CEO Sally Elk and other members of our education and preservation staff for an online presentation about the history and recent preservation of the penitentiary's communal prisoner dining space. Be among the first to see the finished space – ready for visitors.

Located on a wedge of land between Cellblocks 4 and 5, Soup Alley contained a fully equipped kitchen and, as of 1924, two massive but narrow mess halls where prisoners ate together. After initial stabilization in 2013, Eastern State began interpreting this space on Hands-On History tours. In recent months, Soup Alley has been closed for extensive preservation.

Now, thanks to the help of dedicated supporters and a Keystone grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Soup Alley is back. Be among the first to delve deeper than ever before into the newly preserved space, and learn about how and why we chose to make this space more accessible to visitors.

This event is free for all members. Reserve free tickets online or call 215-236-5111 x224. Space is limited. 

Join us on the third Saturday of every month for a special members-only program.

Experience Eastern State as only members can, through exclusive tours on the third Saturday of each month at 11:00 am. These unique, members-only events shed light on new historical findings, take you behind the scenes, and much more. Discover our collections, explore our site, illuminate history, and make unexpected connections.

Not a Member? Join today! Questions? Email us at [email protected]

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Photo: Soup Alley construction, c. 1952, collection of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, gift of the Scheerer family.