Ghosts of Eastern State Penitentiary

Built in 1829 by the Quakers of Philadelphia, Eastern State Penitentiary was the first of it's kind.  Designed to keep prisoners isolated so they they could pay "penitence" for their sins, it gave birth to the word "penitentiary".  It was designed like a wagon wheel so that monitoring of the prisoners could be done from the center or hub where the guards were stationed.  The cell blocks sprawled outward from the central hub which housed the prisoners.  Giving the world's prisons this design, it failed in it's initial purpose of reforming the prisoners using isolation, but drove most of them mad.  Each having only a tiny window of light shining down from above.  Many of the tormented souls that spent their lives there and died there still remain.

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia has many spirits that lurk among it's corridors and cell blocks

Eastern State has been one of the most studied paranormal sites around as it is deemed one of the most haunted places in the world by many.  It has been investigated by many of the well known paranormal teams and featured on many shows such as Ghost Hunters, Fear, Ghost Adventures, and Mysterious Worlds.  Many of the paranormal activities that go on here were captured by these teams and/or the investigators themselves.  Many staff members refuse to stay there overnight.

A Torrid History

Although the Quakers are a peaceful, religious people, when Eastern State was at the height of it's operations, the hired help were not so kind.  It is told that many forms of torture were used on the prisoners at times.  When a prisoner was not co-operating, sometimes they would be thrown into solitary confinement for weeks at at time in a place known as "the hole" which was literally a hole dug out under cell block 14.  Occasionally prisoners would be given what is known as a 'water bath' where in the Winter, they were totally submerged in water, then hung up and chained.  They would be found in the morning with a layer of ice on their skin. 

An overview of the wheel shaped cell blocks of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia

Some prisoners would be driven insane from conditions and some of the punishments such as "the hole".  They would be placed in something called "The Mad Chair" where they would be strapped in extremely tightly and be denied food for days.  And finally some prisoners actually met their death via something called "The Iron Gag".  If a prisoner talked too much or would scream incessantly, they would be subjected to this device which was clamped to their tongues and the attached behind their backs to their hands and feet so that if they moved, the clamp would dig into their tongue.  Many bled to death via this device.

The prison was originally designed to hold 250 prisoners in 1829 when it was constructed.  Around the time of it's closure in 1971, it held over 1700 prisoners.  Overcrowded conditions also contributed to the miserable state of the inmates within Eastern State's confines.

So many of these tortured souls still roam within the prison walls.  Many of which are phantoms of the worse kind in that they are shadow figures.  These forms of spirits are believed to be of evil intent.  This makes sense considering where they have manifested and came to be.

Al Capone' Cell

In 1929, gangster Al Capone spent some time at Eastern State in cell block 7.  It is not known to be haunted by him however, Al Capone actually claimed to have been haunted during his stay there by St. Valentine’s Day Massacre victim James Clark.  He complained about being haunted by Clark's spirit nightly and that it would not go away.

Cell block 7 at Eastern State Penitentiary is where Al Capone was haunted by spirits of his past

Cell Block 4

A locksmith was working on an old lock and was having trouble when he suddenly was overcome by something he could not explain.  As if in a paralyzed state, he felt to be almost out of his body as he was having visions of distorted faces appearing on the cell walls.

The Haunted Guard Tower

It is said that the shadowy figure of a phantom prison guard can be seen keeping watch over the prison from one of the towers on occasion.  No one knows who it may be or what his history is at Eastern State, but for some reason he has chosen to keep watch over the prison walls.  Or maybe he does not have a choice in the matter.

Death Row

Although no executions were ever carried out at Eastern State Penitentiary, death row served as a transfer area where prisoners would spend their days until they were transferred to another prison to be executed.  Over the years, it has been reported that shadow figures have been seen in this area.  Also, spirits have thought have been heard crying or weeping.

Cell Block 12

Reported to be one of the most haunted areas of the prison, many have seen shadow figures moving about, passing from cell to cell as if trying to not be detected.  Sounds of laughter and sometimes ethereal whispers can be heard echoing within the walls and cells of this block.

Actual apparitions have been seen walking about this area of Eastern State Penitentiary.  Believed to be actual visitors, then it is learned that no other person other than the witness was in the area at the time.

Eastern State Penitentiary is open as a tourist attraction today.  Historical tours are given on a regular basis daily.  Haunted ghost tours are given in the yearly October feature called Terror Behind the Walls. 

The layout of the wheel shaped cell blocks of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia

You can take an interactive on-line tour of Eastern State by using this link (http://www.easternstate.org/explore/online-360-tour).

Eastern State Penitentiary is located at
22nd Street & Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:

http://www.easternstate.org
crime.about.com

Devil's Den at Gettysburg Battlefield - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Just outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the former Civil War battlegrounds there lies a valley strewn with large rocks and boulders that looks like the Devil may have designed it himself.  Long before the Battle of Gettysburg ever took place, locals have referred to this place as the Devil's Den.  Thousands of Civil War soldiers died in the valley where the Devil's Den is located.  However, not only is it said that many ghosts of the Civil War haunt this battle ground, but spirits from a time prior to the Civil War as well.

The Devil's Den at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, PA

Long before the likes of Lee and Meade ever walked the Gettysburg Battlefield, a Native American battle took place here in which many warriors were killed.  Then in July of 1863 for three long days, the Confederate Army of the South met the Union Army of the North at this location as well as the surrounding hills in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.  There were approximately fifty thousand casualties suffered on both sides including over seven thousand killed.  On the second day of battle, heavy fighting occurred at Devil's Den as the Union soldiers who held the hill defended against the attacking Confederates.  The Union troops eventually lost control of the hill only to retake it again after many were killed on both sides.  The valley which is home to Devil's Hill was nicknamed "Death Valley".  The dead lay strewn around Devil's Den for weeks and some were thrown into the rocky crevices instead of being buried.

The Devil's Den, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as it appeared in the 1860s

The Devil's Den immediately after the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War

Throughout the early to mid 1800s, there have been reported stories from locals about hearing the sounds of Native American war cries coming from the Devil's Den.  Some claimed to have even seen the apparitions of warriors as if they were in the last death throws of battle.  After the Civil War battle at Gettysburg, reports started coming in of sightings of what many believe to be the ghost of a Confederate soldier roaming the Devil's Den.  It is believed that he is from the Confederate Army because the apparition is usually dressed in the style that the Texas regiment wore at the time of the battle.  He has been described as usually wearing buckskin clothes, and having long hair underneath a hat in the style that the southerners used to wear in that time period.  Some say that the apparition appeared to be barefoot.  Most of the Confederate soldiers had poor or no shoes and were raggedly dressed which matches the often rough or scraggly look of the ghost.  Many have nicknamed the ghost at Devil's Den the "hippie" because of the way he looks.

Baleroy mansion - The death chair - Philadelphia, PA

In Chestnut Hill, PA stands a mansion that has had inhabitants that go back to before the Civil War years.  The house was contructed in 1911 by the family of Civil War General George Meade.  The latest owner and descentant in the historic family line, George Gordon Meade Easby, passed away recently at the age of 87.

Ghosts of Fort Mifflin

Almost a ghost itself, Fort Mifflin still stands along the banks of the Delaware River on the outskirts of Philadelphia as if watching for a phantom enemy from the past.  Built in 1771, the fort was the scene of a large naval bombardment by the British during the Revolutionary War.  The fort held off the British assault on Philadelphia until General George Washington and his troops could retreat to Valley Forge.  The fort was active through the Civil War up until 1952 when it was abandoned as a military installation.  It is now home to many ghosts from various eras.

Entrance to Fort Mifflin

A ghostly image of a lamplighter can be seen strolling near the soldier's barracks.  During the days of yesteryear, he must have fulfilled his duties nightly by walking around lighting the lanterns and light fixtures around the fort.  Not wanting to relinquish these duties, he still wanders the grounds.

A captain from the civil war era can also be seen inspecting the gun emplacements, making sure all is ready for the next ethereal assault.

Near the powder magazine, a revolutionary era soldier can be seen sitting cleaning his gun.  Many folks have returned from their tour and complimented the staff on the revolutionary re-inactor, only to be told that there was no re-in actors at the fort.  They have nicknamed him "Amos".

Fort Mifflin powder magazine

At one point during the active lifetime of the fort, a blacksmith named Jason liked to keep the doors to his shop open all of the time.  The commander of the fort wished them to be closed for obvious reasons.  Today the doors to the blacksmith shop seem to open all by themselves.

Blacksmith shop at Fort Mifflin

The outer casements seem to be the site of a concentration of civil war phantoms. What appears to be a confederate prisoner of war can be seen in this area.  The fort was used to house confederate prisoners during the Civil War. Just outside the casements a Federal soldier has been spotted sitting. When a closer approach is taken, it becomes apparent that the man does not have a face.

View of the Delaware River from Fort Mifflin's walls

The New Jersey Devil

The legend of the New Jersey Devil has lived on since the time of the Lenni Lenape Indian tribes who dwelled in the area of the pine barrens in southern New Jersey.  The New Jersey Devil is said to have the characteristics of various types of animals.  The most widely accepted version of how the devil originated is as follows:

"It was said that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after giving birth to her 12th child, stated that if she had another, it would be the Devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her were her friends. Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the Devil himself. The child was born normal, but then changed form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a horse's head, bat wings and a forked tail. It growled and screamed, then killed the midwife before flying up the chimney. It circled the villages and headed toward the pines. In 1740 a clergy exorcised the demon for 100 years and it wasn't seen again until 1890."

Artist's rendition of the New Jersey Devil

 It is due to this story that the New Jersey Devil is sometimes referred to as "Leeds Devil".  There have been many sightings of the creature over the years throughout southern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.




Reference: Wikipedia - New Jersey Devil