In my Haunted Histories essay, I asserted that, though Eastern State Penitentiary is undeniably more dedicated to historical preservation and public education than Pennhurst, it is still unacceptable for them to host a “haunted” attraction on their site. However, after visiting the site for the first time and participating in the day tour, I have begun to question my original stance.
First of all, I should say that ESP was my favorite museum we’ve visited so far for this class. I found its history not only fascinating but tremendously relevant. It really got me thinking critically about incarceration in the U.S. When it opened, it was one of the country’s most expensive public facilities ever, with cutting edge technology and open support from many of our forefathers. The original intention was well-meaning: use solitary confinement as a means to help prisoners find their “inner light” and then release them back into society as new, enlightened people. Of course, we now know that while in theory this sounds like a good idea, in reality it often drove prisoners insane. However, the site now stands as a reminder of a time in our history when our leaders were much more willing to spend money and time figuring out how to reform prisoners, instead of simply locking them away. Today, our country has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and we are still using outdated and regressive methods such as solitary confinement to punish people. It is a gigantic problem (much bigger than many of us realize), and I think that Eastern State has some truly amazing potential to serve as a place to inspire such critical conversation.
During some candid discussion with our tour guide Toby, he mentioned that approximately half of the museum’s yearly revenue comes from Terror Behind the Walls. When someone asked him how he felt about it, he said that, as someone who gives day tours, he sees an impressive number of visitors drawn to the site solely because they had attended the haunted attraction. The way I see it now; if the haunted attraction is going to help keep the museum open year-round, and also inspire a few of its visitors to come back for a day tour, thus prompting them to think critically about incarceration in America…then I think it’s worth it. For ESP, the positive effects of the situation outweigh the negatives. For Pennhurst however, I still maintain my original position.
