Step inside Eastern State Penitentiary and get a preserved view of a slice of history. Back when it opened 1829, solitary confinement was not a punishment- it was how every prisoner was treated. It was not meant as torture, it was a method to reform a person. The architects deeply believed that every person had some form of good in their hearts, and time alone would help them find it. The structure did not allow any form of interaction between inmates. The floor plan is made of a series of long hallways all sprawling out from one central round room, allowing guards to see every hallway at once. Eastern State is a must-see.
2124 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130