Haunted History.. Eastern State Penitentairy

Prison. No one likes the thought of being in prison, caged like an animal. Just the thought alone is unbearable. Think of how it is for those that really are incarcerated. Some, for the rest of their natural lives.

Prisons, for the most part want to reform their prisoners. Not just punish them for their misdeeds. Some prisoners do turn from their life of crime, and even find new found faith in the deity of their choosing. Sad though, that it takes being locked away from the rest of society for them to rethink things. Often, when it is too late.

But for today, we shall concentrate on one specific of the Penal System's prisons that sadly went wrong and lost sight of the true reasoning behind their "mission".

Eastern State Penitentiary.

It was not too long after the Revolutionary War. Finally, the United States of America was no longer under British Rule's thumb and being lead by King George III.

Most prisons back in those times were geared to reforming the prison populous in many of the ways that we wish to do so today. They reformed the prisons educationally, medically and also in governmental standards. Democracy in the newly recovering country was at the time, of most importance, as well. But their "democracy" was a far cry of how it is in the treatment of today's prisoners.

For the most part though, most of the prisons of that time were just "holding" cells. They incarcerated men, women, and yes, even children. Petty thieves were not uncommon types to be found behind their bars. Sadly, abuse and even mutilations were not uncommon to take place.

During the year 1787, in Philadelphia, powerful men had met within Ben Franklin's home. This group was named "The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons". Long name, if I don't say so myself. These men felt that the way prisoners of their time were being treated had to change. And for the better.

Dr. Benjamin Rush, who was apparently the Society's 'spokes person', stated that the goal of the group was to build a "true penitentiary, a prison designed to create genuine regret and penitence in the criminal's heart".

After thirty years of pushing this radical idea of reform among the prison population, a brand new prison building was being constructed with the reform ideals in mind.

Eastern State Penitentiary opened it's doors to let in it's first prisoners in 1829. It was one of the most expensive construction projects of its time. There would be no corporal punishment brought to it's charges. But instead, spiritual reflection, as well as change.

The Quaker-type methods were used (as many Americans of the century were of that Religious faith). Isolation and heavy labor was the norm for prisoners at Eastern State.

They felt that giving these two proponents would instill the wanting and the need to change. Also, when the prisoners were being moved from their cell, the guards would place hoods over the person's head, as to keep them from socializing and to continue in their solitude and reflection.

The only light that came in to the prison cell was from skylights that were built in. They were deemed "Heaven's Light", to let the prisoner look up to God, and let God see them. Their only literature was the Bible.

Other than these things, prisoners at Eastern State in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had no other outside contact. They were not allowed to have socialization with fellow inmates. Nor were they allowed visitors from the outside world. To do so, would interfere in the prisoner's time to reflect, repent, and turn from their ways.

In 1971, Eastern State Penitentiary had its doors closed for good. One hundred and forty-two years after the doors opened, and they had encased Prisoner Number One, Charles Williams. The closing was mostly due to the fact that the elderly prison was in desperate need of major repairs. But, the additions that were done over the previous years left the prison with not enough dough to work with.

Now, remember earlier, I had stated that horrendous abuse had occurred while the prison was open for the first many years? No human contact was allowed. Beatings, floggings and other atrocious acts were brought upon the prison's unfortunate souls that had been forced to reside there. Some were chained to the walls, half naked. Some placed in complete darkness, with no food. Even the "iron treatment" was allowed. Many became completely nuts and driven to permanent insanity, due to their "living" conditions.

Willie Sutton, Al Capone and even Pep, the dog (that killed the Governor’s cat) were just a few of the more "famous" inmates that reportedly had spent some of their time in prison at ESP.

Now, on to the reported haunting activities that have supposedly happened..

Over in Cell Block Twelve, there is a disembodied laugh. There is no specific location of exactly what cell it is emanating from.

Cell Block Six has people abuzz in regards to having the most shadowy figures and forms. But these shapes form pretty much everywhere within the prison.

Many reports from tourists of Eastern State Penitentiary state that they feel like they are being closely watched and some, even followed around.

Tour Information...

Hours

Every Day, Twelve Months A Year:

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(last entry: 4pm)

Summer Twilight Hours:

June through August

Wednesday evenings until 8 pm

Last Entry: 7 pm

No reservations necessary.

**Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.**

***Children under the age of 7 cannot be admitted.***

Ticket Office (215) 236-3300

Links!...

ESP History

America's Most Haunted Prison

ParanorMel may become a Ghost of the Past soon...

Lately, I have been seriously thinking. Thinking of what to do, when it comes to the blogging world.

I have this blog, as well as my main blog, The (Not Always) Happy Homemaker Diary.

For the most part as of late, I write, and I write, and I write. Yes, primarily for myself. Just to get out what I want to or that I need to.

As for ParanorMel, it is for those wishing to know that they are not alone, can relate to others and feel free to share their stories without societal persecution.

But the more I think about it, the more I see and compare, I think that my blogging days are coming to a standstill.

I'm wondering what the use is, anymore. Is it the fact that I don't blog on practically a daily basis? Is it because I don't hop on to every single Blogging Carnival out there? Is it because I don't comment on EVERY page I read?

I don't do cliques of any kind. I will have a buddy's back in their hour of need. And I will stand up for the underdog. But I don't care to always do or have the 'in' thing, be in the 'in' crowd. I love doing my own thing. And that also comes in to play within the writing world.

My great-grandmother was a famous Chicago Christian-based playwright. I have Mae Questel in my lineage, whom provided the original voice of Betty Boop. I've also got Jean Harlow and President Theodore Roosevelt within my bloodlines. So what? I am certainly happy and proud of my heritage. But they do NOT make me who I am.

If blogging means keeping up with the Jones' in regards to Blog Carnivals and mass commenting to "get noticed" or read, then the TRUE meaning and art of blogging has gone to the wayside.

It should never be about who has the better blog posts, the better blog layout, and all the other hullabaloo I have witnessed in my time around here, since about November of last year.

I've seen where some say that they don't run in cliques and don't do 'one-sided' things when it comes to blogging. But I'm sorry to say, I noticed. And yes they are in these 'cliques', though I don't think their eyes are open enough to really see. But I and others do.

As for fighting between to 'adults' in the blogging world? I stay the hell away. I have my own problems. In the real world mind you. So what good does it do for me and my blood pressure to jump in the middle of a cat fight? Not any good at all. For all parties involved. I say let them two have at it, remain neutral and state that you REFUSE to get pulled in.

Now, seeing as I am pretty sure that this post to will get brushed under the rug (as in not even read), let alone even validated by another's words (I'm NOT talking about Angel or Alexes y'all), I'm coming to a point of where to go from here.

Is The (Not Always) Happy Homemaker Diary and ParanorMel going to survive and move on to the next post? Or should I cut my losses, and realize the fact that I put too much time and energy in to these two blogs, that they should just be killed off?

I'm more active at the school now, then before. My kids and my home take priority. As does my husband. Plus we have a trip and the holidays coming up.

Is it all really worth it anymore? This will be a hard decision, being that I *really* do enjoy writing. But at what cost?

The Victorian View On Death...

True, I normally write about ghosts and hauntings. But I have a "closet" fascination. Some would call it a morbid one, to say the least. But it is practiced (though rarely) still today. Primarily in the south of North America's culture. A fascination that forces us to take a really good look at ourselves, our lives, and our mortality. And it makes us hope that those that we leave behind, will wish to remember us as we were, before death placed it's cold grip upon our shoulder.

Back in the times of Victorian culture, it was not uncommon in the least, that the grieving families would have pictures taken of their loved ones after death, as to capture their essence from life, in which death had robbed them.

The pictures were taken before the deceased person's funeral and burial. And some are so exquisite, that while, heartbreaking, they are beautiful.

The practice was called Post-Mortem Photography. The practice had begun in 1839. But died out after the turn of the century. These were not meant to be a morbid means of "clinging on" to loved ones. But to have a memento of those that were loved dearly. Especially of children, who died in great numbers back in the Victorian era, due to the very diseases that we have eradicated or have built better immunity to in this day and age.

The earliest works of photographers that were doing "Memento Photos" had primarily face shots, or full-body pictures. But without the coffin, in most cases.

As time drew on, then the photographers tried to capture the dead in as real a life-like state as possible. Sometimes, going as far as painting the eyes on to the eyelids, to give the deceased an "awake" appearance.

With some people, the photographer would lay them on a bed or on a love-seat and show the subject as if they were just sleeping.

Over on YouTube, I had found a lady who posts videos of collections of old VHS tapes she had of this very subject. They are made by GhostWatching.

While it makes your heart pound, and it leaves you a bit morose and makes the reality of your own mortality more surreal, the pictures are breath taking, and genuinely beautiful. Especially the children.

Shadow People and Masses

Shadow people can come in different forms. Some have the shape of a real, live person. Some come in the form of a black mass or gas blob. In some you can see their eyes. In others, you can make a feature or two out.

No matter how these 'things' appear, it can be and often is a very frightening experience for those that are unlucky enough to see one.

One very early morning, when my husband was having to work the 'graveyard' shift (as in third shift, starting at eleven at night, until seven or so in the morning), I thought that he had come home early. Maybe he was feeling ill and came home to get some rest. Or he had too many hours docked up, so they sent him home, as to not go too far over in Overtime.

So, obviously at about four or so in the morning, as the basement foyer's light was shining through my bedroom door, I thought nothing of it when I saw the dark male figure standing in the doorway, blocking some of the light from coming in.

After looking straight at my "husband", it hit me as soon as I lay back down my on the pillow. He never said a word, and he stared at me, though I never saw his eyes, nor his face. It felt for that brief moment that his eyes were piercing through me. Plus, he never came to bed. And knowing him, he would have done all those things after making note to me that he was home and why.

After I turned to look at who I thought was my husband again, he (it, really) was no longer there. This is when I awoke more clearly. Because for him, all of what I described above was greatly out of character for him.

When I got up, I immediately went in to the family area, also in the basement to check on him. No one was there. Then I traveled upstairs. After looking in the bathroom, the living room, the dining area, and the kitchen, still I had not seen a soul. Well, not the living kind, anyways.

I'd even went as far as looking in to the kids' rooms. All three of them were sound asleep. And I knew it couldn't be them, being that who I had seen was almost six-feet-tall, broad shouldered, and skinny, but stalky.

In what seemed like forever, I was finally done with my search, only to find no one but myself up walking around the house. This is when it had finally also dawned on me. I had my very first encounter with a Shadow Person.

Now, note that while my husband doesn't brush me off, or think of me as a loon, knowing what I have experienced, and knowing what 'gifts' I have, he is still pretty much a skeptic. But none the less, he is not as much of a skeptic these days.

A few weeks later, after my experience, he told me one of his own. And mind you, I never made mention of my previous visit from The Other Side.

My husband relayed his experience to me about a week after it happened. I can't say if it was out of fear of what he went through, and was still trying to process it in his mind. Or if he was worried about having to admit that he finally got what he "wished" for, as a skeptic. That is, he has to see it, to believe it when it comes to the Spiritual Realm.

When he had gotten the courage to tell me, his story went like this...

He was laying in bed one night, a few weeks after I had my early-morning visitor, he was just trying to drift off to sleep. He wasn't quite asleep, but not fully awake, either. He was just laying there, with me quietly dreaming as I lay there peacefully beside him.

Finally, he drifted off to a nice slumber. But then he awoke very suddenly with a feeling of dread and the inability to move. In the darkness of our room, with all lights off throughout the basement, and a crack of light coming through one of our bedroom windows, he noticed, floating above him, a deeply black mass, like a gas cloud above him.

My husband said that he tried as hard as he possibly could to move, but he was seemingly, completely paralyzed. He also was not able to speak as this cloud was hovering over his body. And during the whole entire incident, he said that I stayed asleep, never once even moving or turning over.

As soon as this shadow cloud mass disappeared before his eyes, my husband said that he was finally able to move, and to speak. He said that he got up and went upstairs after that. And that is where I did find him the following morning. On the couch, just awaking. He claimed at that point that he just couldn't sleep, being that our room felt stuffy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_people


Shadow people (also known as shadow figures, shadow beings, shadow men, or shadow folk) are supernatural shadow-like figures of both modern folklore and paranormal popular culture that believers describe as dark humanoid forms or evasive specters that are seen mostly in peripheral vision.

Scientific explanations

Several principles based in science can be used to explain reports of shadow people, including optical illusions or hallucinations brought on by physiological/psychological circumstances, drug use, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.

When a specific region of the brain called the left temporoparietal junction is stimulated, it can create the illusion of a shadow person.

Images seen in peripheral areas of vision can be caused by pareidolia, a condition in which the brain incorrectly interprets random patterns of light/shadow or texture as being familiar patterns such as faces and human forms. The same condition can also be observed in macular vision in low light conditions, or when viewing a complex but random image. A common example would be perceiving a shadow, thrown by an item of furniture in a darkened room, as being a person.

Hypnagogia, also known as "waking-sleep", a physiological condition in which a person is part-way between sleeping and waking, can also account for such perceptions.^[12] During hypnagogia, a person can be conscious and aware of their environment, but also in a dream-like state where they can perceive images from their subconscious. People experiencing waking-sleep commonly report the sensation of lights or shadows moving around them, as well as other visual hallucinations. A feeling of dread is also a sensation that occurs when experiencing hypnagogia. Hypnagogia is sometimes known as 'the faces in the dark phenomenon' because those who experience this state commonly report seeing faces while experiencing waking-sleep. Similar hypotheses have been put forward linking this condition to a number of other apparent paranormal experiences, including alien abductions, paranormal nocturnal visitations, and religious experiences such as contact with angels or demons.

                       This picture, though a drawing, is a good example of a Shadow Person, which is what I had seen that early morning, thinking that my husband came home early from work.

            Yes, it is a picture interpretation of a Space Nebula. But if you take that BLUE gas mass, and make it black, and remove it's surroundings, then this is what my husband basically had seen hovering over him as he laid in the bed that night, by his description and detail.