Hell on Earth: History of the Haunted Eastern State Penitentiary Eastern State Penitentiary was built in 1829 and operated until 1971 when the prison was closed. At the time Eastern Penn was built, it was the biggest and most expensive publicly funded structure ever built. The historic prison set a new standard for architecture and design and was used as a model for 300 other prisons around the globe. This building is considered the world’s first true penitentiary, designed for reform rather than punishment by incarcerating each prisoner to their own solitary confinement cell. Read more…