Eastern State Penitentiary received its first inmate in October of 1829. The initial goal of Eastern State was to inspire morals, work ethic, and religious penitence into the inmates. Penitence being the key, the very word “penitentiary” is rooted in. Silence and isolation from the devil was thought to help the inmates restore their inner light. The unique panopticon design, running water, and central heating put Eastern State Penitentiary on the map as an amazing work of architecture. Eventually, the severe isolation and religious guidelines began to crumble as Eastern State grew overcrowded, expensive, and the deterioration of many inmates mental heath became evident. By 1971 Eastern State Penitentiary was abandoned.
Today, Eastern State is a praised historical site that draws multitudes of curious tourists, and even veteran locals, to take a peak behind the massive walls. Options to tour Eastern State include an audio tour narrated by Steve Buscemi, guided group tours, or the popular “Terror Behind the Walls” haunted house that runs roughly from September until November. With these options, Eastern State covers all demographic bases. The audience ranges from families all the way up to groups of senior citizens. Eastern State Penitentiary incorporates their history in the tour, though it seems that the penitentiary is an entity separate from Philadelphia. Although Eastern State is a significant part of Philadelphia’s history, I did not gain an understanding of how the penitentiary has impacted Philadelphia. As we discussed in class, it is possible that some subjects may be too large to broach in a group tour environment, and some may be too difficult to tackle. A possibility for Eastern State to indulge tough questions of Philadelphia’s history could be to take a lesson from the Wagner Institute. Offering discussion classes with various topics would be a great way to incorporate larger themes, generate revenue, and ensure the people attending were interested. The artist installations provide an aesthetic break from the pealing paint and chipped plaster. I did not enjoy them all, though the “dark tourism” theme was the highlight for me. The installation makes you ask yourself “Why am I here?” “Why do I want to experience this?” And the answers are often… dark.
I think that Eastern State does a great job engaging visitors and is a great example of how “ways of seeing” has changed over the years. I feel that interaction with an original artifact has a greater gain of cultural capital than any game at the Franklin Institute.
Hey there, I'm a student of American history with politics at the UEA, I hope you are aware we are meant to comment on your posts!
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I was really interested in your description of this museum, I have been to Alcatraz and empathise with the idea you brought forward of why people are so fascinated with such "dark" things. It is a wonder why they are big on tourism, regarding the nature of their history. You may assume that it due to the dark past institutions such as this may not have so much tourist attraction. I guess it could be gleaned that there is a market.
Furthermore I found the conditions you described really interesting, like the running water but also the idea of "silence and isolation" being a key part of the day there. It is strange to think of this today and I am not surprised the mental health of the inmates suffered.
Zoë Meeken