On Saturday, November 2nd, the Freshmen Honors Program went on a trip to the Eastern State Penitentiary. We took a day tour of the prison and learned about the history of the prisoners, the architecture and the means of security.

Eastern State was the first of its kind in terms of the purpose of housing prisoners. Eastern State was first developed to rehabilitate lesser criminals. Each prisoner had his own room and only had human contact for an hour each day. This arrangement allowed the prisoners plenty of time to reflect on themselves and their crimes.  Another aspect of Eastern State that made it different from other prisons was the setup of the prison. The main watchtower was located in the center with rows of cells diverging off of that. The guard in the center watchtower was able to see down all of the rows and easily spot someone trying to escape. The penitentiary had very high walls to keep the prisoners from escaping. Also, the prison was designed to resemble a castle. Many of the prisoners were immigrants from Europe and were taught to recognize castles as a symbol of royalty and power, therefore, feeling submissive in their presence. On the tour we also learned about some of the interesting prisoners who were held there, one of them being Al Capone. We were able to see Al Capone’s cell which is still intact. It was far from an ordinary cell and had a lamp, comfortable chairs, and a desk. The tour was highly informative and thoroughly entertaining.

After the tour we went to Bookhaven. It was a small bookstore that was filled to the ceiling with used books. The store was three stories and filled with a wide variety of books. Bookhaven had non-fiction, collections of Sherlock Holmes stories, and the full works of Hemingway. The second I stepped into the store the sound of classical music and the smell of books created an ambiance that is unparalleled by any other book store.

Overall, the trip to Eastern State Penitentiary was informative, entertaining, and truly delightful.