Eastern State Penitentiary was revolutionary when it was opened in 1829. From the wagon wheel design of the prison to the separate incarceration system. Known as The Pennsylvania System, this design was recreated more than 300 times worldwide. So famous in its days, author Charles Dickens once said that the two things he wanted to see in America were Niagara Falls and Eastern State Penitentiary.

In its original design, Eastern State was to have 7 spoke like cell blocks that held a total of 250 inmates in solitary confinement for the duration of their sentence. This cellblock is one of the original one-story cellblocks. The treatment received by the 75,000 inmates over the course of its 142-year history, was considered cruel by today’s standards.

The cells were located close to one another but the walls between cells are of thick concrete to prevent the prisoners from communicating with one another. Guards took special measures to ensure silence through the corridors. The food carts were outfitted with leather wheels to keep them silent and the guards were instructed to wear cloth over their shoes to keep them quiet as they patrolled these never-ending halls. The solitary confinement drove many prisoners to mental illness.