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Philadelphia Haunts: Eastern State Penitentiary, Fort Mifflin, & Other Ghostly Sites
Read stories brought to life during encounters at Eastern State Penitentiary, where whispers from the famed Cell Block 12 were caught on tape. At Fort Mifflin, visions of bloody men of the Revolutionary time are seen and their agonizing cries are heard. Also visit apparitions of South Philly and Center City; read about a ghost who’d killed family members and then himself—he now interacts with the living; see a nostalgic spirit who stands at the corner of 9th and Passyunk. Included is information for ghost hunters about protection, equipment, and tips for investigating ghosts. Watch where you walk in Philadelphia; chances are there may be a spirit or two strolling next to you!
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 21, 2018
I purchased this book after reading A Long Black Veil, in which the characters visit Eastern State Penitentiary in the opening chapters. I love stories about haunted buildings and such. Unfortunately, this book is very limited in its descriptions. You'll think I'm kidding, but there are actual "stories" like this one:
XYZ Catholic School -- It's been said that a ghost lurks in the cemetery behind the school.
A few pages are dedicated to specific investigations and witness testimonies, but it's painful to get those parts. The text is flooded with typos and a liberal use of ellipses. Wish I'd saved my money and bought a different book instead!
XYZ Catholic School -- It's been said that a ghost lurks in the cemetery behind the school.
A few pages are dedicated to specific investigations and witness testimonies, but it's painful to get those parts. The text is flooded with typos and a liberal use of ellipses. Wish I'd saved my money and bought a different book instead!
October 2, 2017
As someone very familiar with Eastern State Penitentiary, this book contains so many inaccuracies about the building's layout and history that I couldn't take any other information inthe book about other locations seriously. Honestly, the whole section about the prison had me chuckling. From the non-existent "Mad Chair" to mentions of cellblock 12 being 2 stories (there are 3), it's pretty awful. Secondly, the weird separation of "scientific" findings vs. other findings literally have no distinguishing factors. It's just one section of things that allegedly happened in an area followed by other things that happened. Overall, the writing itself is lackluster. I love a good spooky story, and even watch some paranormal shows, but this book was a complete disappointment.
January 3, 2016
As much as I love reading about haunts, especially local, this book didn't do it for me. It was not well written at all, and didn't really present much information that I haven't already seen elsewhere. Skip this one.
December 22, 2022
A hauntingly bad read,
January 13, 2014
Dating back to 1822 when construction was in place, we learned on the tour that it was the Quakers who initiated the concept of reformation by solitary confinement in the hope that those who broke the law would become penitent and mend their wicked ways.
Over 300 prisons worldwide based their constructional designs to imitate the Eastern State facility.
Today the place is in ruins and fosters the feeling of gloom and doom. The walls are pealing, the concrete is cracked, the metal frames of the beds are rusted and water drips from the walls.
While lauded as a hallmark of ingenuity, all too soon it was discovered that solitary confinement led to madness.
With a central circular area, the cell blocs were spokes extended from the main area. As the population grew, portions of what began as one story structure remained while additional cell blocks were constructed in a two-story system.
When Charles Dickens visited America and toured the penitentiary in 1842, his sharp words foretold the terror that would reside in the walls, even to this day.
."I hold this slow and daily tampering with the mysteries of the brain to be immeasurably worse than any torture of the body; and because its ghastly signs and tokens are not so palpable to the eye,... and it extorts few cries that human ears can hear; therefore I the more denounce it, as a secret punishment in which slumbering humanity is not roused up to stay.
While I was distracted by the poorly written text, I did find this book interesting. A number of credible ghost hunting/paranormal investigations all conclude beyond a shadow of a doubt that the penitentiary is indeed haunted.
When the author and her team spent six hours of intense study of the edifice, they found ghostly voices, a sense of fear and a few of the team members were physically harmed while in the penitentiary.
Cell blocs four and twelve in particular generated a lot of activity.
When the doors were officially closed in 1971, only the spirits remained. A popular tourist attraction today, it is worth the visit.
Over 300 prisons worldwide based their constructional designs to imitate the Eastern State facility.
Today the place is in ruins and fosters the feeling of gloom and doom. The walls are pealing, the concrete is cracked, the metal frames of the beds are rusted and water drips from the walls.
While lauded as a hallmark of ingenuity, all too soon it was discovered that solitary confinement led to madness.
With a central circular area, the cell blocs were spokes extended from the main area. As the population grew, portions of what began as one story structure remained while additional cell blocks were constructed in a two-story system.
When Charles Dickens visited America and toured the penitentiary in 1842, his sharp words foretold the terror that would reside in the walls, even to this day.
."I hold this slow and daily tampering with the mysteries of the brain to be immeasurably worse than any torture of the body; and because its ghastly signs and tokens are not so palpable to the eye,... and it extorts few cries that human ears can hear; therefore I the more denounce it, as a secret punishment in which slumbering humanity is not roused up to stay.
While I was distracted by the poorly written text, I did find this book interesting. A number of credible ghost hunting/paranormal investigations all conclude beyond a shadow of a doubt that the penitentiary is indeed haunted.
When the author and her team spent six hours of intense study of the edifice, they found ghostly voices, a sense of fear and a few of the team members were physically harmed while in the penitentiary.
Cell blocs four and twelve in particular generated a lot of activity.
When the doors were officially closed in 1971, only the spirits remained. A popular tourist attraction today, it is worth the visit.
November 10, 2016
There were some interesting stories included. The author skipped around a lot though and was a little hard to follow. The typos were pretty irritating too.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews