Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary is an abandoned prison in Connecticut that is one of the most haunted locations on earth. The haunted history of the prison involves disturbing torture and death.

Eastern State Penitentiary operated under the Pennsylvania System from 1829 to 1913. This system was used by the Quakers to force the incorrigible criminals sent there to look inside themselves and find God. In reality, the system placed inmates in complete solitude and drove many of them completely insane.

Prisoners at Eastern State were locked in their cells 23 hours a day. Whenever they did leave their cells, a black hood would be placed over their head so they could not see any other prisoners because any form of communication between inmates was forbidden. If the prisoners were caught trying to whisper through vents to each other, the penalty was brutal.

The inmates who broke the rules risked being dunked in a bath of ice-cold water and then hung from a wall for the night. Some inmates would be strapped into a chair with leather straps, and left to sit for days, without food. Others had an iron collar clamped onto their tongue, and then chained to their wrists which were strapped high behind their back. Any movement resulted in a tearing of the tongue and severe bleeding.

Under Block 14, was the hole, a pit in the ground where incorrigible inmates would stay locked, sometimes for weeks. Finding the conditions of the prison unacceptable, the prison was taken over and reformed and the Pennsylvania System was abolished. Finally, in 1971, the sprawling monstrous prison was closed.

Since its closure visitors, employees and those researching paranormal activity have reportedly heard unexplained eerie sounds throughout the prison. A locksmith was doing work in Cell Block 4, when a massive force overcame him so powerfully he was unable to move. Anguished faces appeared on the cell wall and seemed to beckon to the locksmith.

Today the penitentiary is opened to the public. Tourists and employees have reported hearing weeping, giggling and whispering coming from inside the prison walls.