Ghost Hunters Investigations: Ghost Adventures Recap: Eastern State Penitentiary

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Ghost Adventures Recap: Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA

This 180 year old building in known as one of the most haunted places in the world. It was built in 1829, with about 75,000 prisoners housed there. The whole prison was one big solitary consignment, with no communication between the prisoners with guards and other prisoners. In cell block 4 a witness said that she felt very sad, heard voices and felt a cold chill. There were plenty murders and at least two were officers. One was clubbed to death in a solitary yard by a prisoner. In the 1990’s, a locksmith saw a ghost in the yard where the officer was murdered. The hospital is where many prisoners died of tuberculoses and other diseases, with dozens and dozens of deaths. They kept a record in the “death book”, which goes as back as far as 1830. In the book Zak read where there were many suicides, one by cutting his throat, and many by hanging. In 1859 one even died of masturbation (I don’t think I will touch that). In Cellblock 12 is where phantom footsteps, loud voices, and yelling like someone was in pain can be heard. The iron gag and the mad chair were used as a very cruel forms of torture. Willie Sutton, who escaped in 1945, got as far as the sidewalk and was captured. His spirit has been seen and felt in those cold stone walls. Al Capone was also there and had a large cell with many amenities. He claimed the he was being haunted by the ghost of Jimmy Clark from the massacre. He was heard yelling “go away”, and “leave me alone” to nothing in the room. He said it was Jimmy. Zak then heard a noise while in Capone’s cell and asked if it was Jimmy? In the infirmary of Cellblock 12, a witness felt her bottom get hit hard and was pushed by unseen forces. In the rotunda, which is the center point of the prison, you can see down each cellblock just standing in one place. In this area an apparition of a man was seen. In another cellblock, a witness who was yelling profanities at the spirits got pushed out of the cell. Others have reported being pushed while in the corridors, and others say that they heard voices near death row, with one loudly saying 'get out'. Zak, Aaron and Nick were told that if they taunted the spirits they just might get some action because the spirits don’t like it. This is just what Zak and the boys love doing.

LOCK DOWN AND INVESTIGATION: After they are locked in, they walk through the yard, check out the guard tower and end up in the rotunda deciding where to start. After figuring out where to set up the static night vision cameras, they start off on the corridor of Cellblock 12. As they were looking in the cells and taunting the ghosts, Zak picks up an unexplained noise on his camera in one of the cells. Nick and Zak go in that cell and shut the door to see if they can get more noises. Zak asked, “Are you in here for murder” and Aaron quickly heard footprints of someone walking up to him in the corridor. Zak then got a sudden spike in the EMF device; the EVP captured "I knew God....God". They wondered if the spirit was referring to the skylights above the cell. They all heard a voice and captured it saying "hungry”. They decided to set up a static night vision camera in that cellblock and leave the area. That camera captured a voice saying "hi" right after they left. Now in Cellblock 2, Zak felt a weird energy field and they all heard a noise. He pointed in a cell where it came from and found 'the mad chair'. Zak went under the metal bar and because it was pitch black, scraped his back on it. He put recorders in the cell, and shortly afterwards Nick heard an eerie sound in the hallway. He then saw or heard the sound of a cell door open. Another unexplained sound was captured by Nick who is in the hallway. As Zak sat in the mad chair they experienced all kinds of voices even one that said "get out”. Now they pulled out the infrared cameras and started snapping pictures. Aaron sees a shadow at the end of the cellblock but the camera did not pick it up. They walked out to the yard and heard knocking from the inside a room. They found an open door that lead to some coffins. Zak asked for a noise and they got knocking reply. He asked who is making noise but got no further response so they moved on. Back outside on one of the photos the infrared camera took, they caught a bright lit up doorway with a weird mist. This was very strange because there were no lights on in the place at all. They decide to split up with Zak investigating in Al Capone's cell, Aaron in the infirmary, and Nick in the solitary yard where the guard was murdered and Cellblock 4. Aaron gets action first and hears a voice. Then Nick captured on his recorder a voice saying 'Nick'. Zak is now taunting Capone and Jimmy’s spirits and hears an unexplained sound. Aaron is now freezing cold and is hearing footsteps passing up and down and captured them his camera. Nick again captures a voice saying 'Nick" and this time I was able to make it out. Right after he left, they captured a scream, and then the camera was drained of its battery. After Zak left Capone’s cell, the camera caught what sounded like a man shouting. Aaron keeps hearing banging and decides that it was time to leave the infirmary.

Many ghost hunting teams have investigated this place, Ghost Hunters as well, and have had astounding evidence captured. The Ghost Adventures caught some interesting voices and noises that can’t be explained.

Click on Julie's home at Above the Norm