On November 2^nd, the freshmen honors trip to Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia occurred. After an hour-long bus ride, we split into two groups for a tour of the penitentiary. We walked around the outside and through the cell blocks as the guide explained the history of the revolutionary – for its time period – prison system. The penitentiary was originally built in the shape of a wagon wheel so that a single guard could stand in the very center of the spokes and watch all six wings. The prisoners were all low-risk and were meant to be rehabilitated completely. They were kept isolated from each other so they would not influence each other’s recovery. This system became a model for prisons across the world. However, this idealistic system did not last for long as crowding began to take precedent over the perfect system. At the beginning of the twentieth century, they abandoned the system entirely and became just like any other prison.

           As I enjoy history, and the prison is supposedly haunted, I found the experience quite interesting. After the initial tour, we were allowed to explore the prison and visit the areas that were not a part of the tour. The people I was with stayed in the ‘haunted’ cellblock for a long time, looking for signs of ghosts. There was one especially creepy cell which was dark with a human-shaped tree growing inside. When we finally left, we went to eat and walked along the street the prison was on, going in various stores such as a nifty book store, an icecream parlor, and a pet shop. All in all, the day was very informative but also a great bonding experience for our group. I would definitely recommend attending any future honors-related trips, if not for the activity itself, then for the people you would be with.