Eastern State Penitentiary

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Spring Fling last week! On Thursday, we welcomed more than 100 special guests to Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site for an evening of mingling, mini tours, and more.

Our leadership team and Board of Directors were thrilled to have the chance to share the many ways we’re moving our mission forward—preserving America’s first penitentiary, advancing public understanding of the criminal justice system, and inspiring a more just future.

Special thanks to our event sponsors EY, Cashman & Associates, Matthew Lee & Elinor Haider, The Union Forge, and Victory Beer.

Cellblock 15, also known as "Death Row", was the last cellblock constructed at Eastern State Penitentiary and notably the most modern-looking block at the prison. Individuals housed here were awaiting death penalty sentences that would be carried out at SCI-Rockview.
While the original bars are gone following Eastern State Penitentiary's nearly 20 years of abandonment, acrylic bars represent the lost cell doors and corridor, which separated guards on duty from the prison cells.

Have you visited Cellblock 15 during your tour?

A peek inside Cellblock 5, one of the seven original cellblocks at Eastern State Penitentiary. The condition of Cellblock 5 remains largely untouched from the period when Eastern State was abandoned between 1971 and 1997, offering a glimpse into how this historic building changed over time.
📸: tidphoto on instagram