Status: Unverified — stories from visitors and staff; no evidence beyond personal accounts.
Credit: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress (Highsmith Archive) · Licence: Public domain (no known copyright restrictions) · Source
Eastern State Penitentiary opened on October 25, 1829. Designed by John Haviland, it is often called the world's first true penitentiary: a wheel of corridors where each prisoner lived in near-total isolation. It was the largest and most expensive public building in the United States when it was finished.
Famous inmates included Al Capone, who served time in 1929, and bank robber Willie Sutton. The prison ended its isolation system in 1913, closed in 1970, and briefly held city inmates in 1971. Today it is a National Historic Landmark and a museum.
Visitors and staff have long said they see shadowy figures, hear footsteps and whispers, or feel watched in the cellblocks, and the site has become a popular place for ghost hunters and Halloween events. These are personal reports, not recorded evidence.
Sources: Wikipedia: Eastern State Penitentiary · Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
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