Scary Eastern State Penitentiary, in Philadelphia, PA, will open its massive iron doors for nighttime Halloween ghost tours during the month of October. The tours will feature ghost stories written by noted author Charles J. Adams III.

Eastern State Penitentiary was designed to be frightening. With castle-like walls thirty feet high, enclosing eleven acres of cellblocks, the prison was built to intimidate. These crumbling walls, rusting cell doors and vaulted, arched hallways have left thousands of visitors unnerved in previous ghost tours. Some of America's most notorious criminals were held within the Penitentiary's stone walls, including bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone.

Special Halloween theme dinners will be available from many area restaurants, in conjunction with the tours.

Eastern State Penitentiary is located at 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue in Philadelphia. For more information the public should call the Eastern State Ghost Tour Information Line at 215-763-NITE. The Penitentiary remains open for daytime historic tours until November 2. [10/04/1997]

February 10, 2012