When Matthew Murphy began working at Eastern State Penitentiary, in Philadelphia, in 2013, most visitors to the famous former prison were seeking out “something morbid — pain, suffering, trauma, death, dying.”
That has begun to shift in the past five years. Murphy oversees Eastern State’s tour program and says that many people are "coming here to learn about criminal-justice reform, social justice, to hold discussions and dialogues about, really, the shortcomings of our criminal-justice system.”
Eastern State Penitentiary opened in 1829, and its architecture and design have “been copied by prison architects all over the world,” Murphy says, making it “arguably history’s most influential prison.”
The prison museum operates as a “stabilized ruin," meaning its deterioration is controlled while still remaining safe for visitors to enter.
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While there are no plans to restore the recognized National Historic Landmark, the site hosts an annual haunted-house fundraiser, which covers about 66 percent of the museum’s operating budget. These funds are used to pay the bills, preserve the landmark and fund daytime public programming.
Murphy says “Terror Behind the Walls” is one of the largest and highest-rated haunted houses in the United States.
Once the museum closes to the public, technical and production teams have about an hour to flip the switch to the lights off, turn on the fog machine and get the music rolling for the haunted house. Actors in masks and costumes jump out at visitors from cells; neon lights and clowns line one of the cellblocks; and loud shrieks echo through the darkness. The production brings 300 staff members onto the set every night.
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Murphy explains that while the haunts may bring people in, the penitentiary’s important history is what leaves a lasting impression.
“A lot of people come here because of its reputation as a site of paranormal activity,” he says. “That’s awesome, and we encourage people to come for whatever their interests are."
But, he continued, the museum hopes visitors think critically about our criminal-justice system: "There’s more work to do there.”
Read more:
How to pack like a paranormal investigator on a ghost hunt
7 spooky under-the-radar places to visit, according to a ghost hunter
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