Eastern State Penitentiary

Opened in 1829 as a model prison built on solitary confinement, it eventually housed Al Capone. It ran for 142 years and is now a museum and one of the most visited haunted sites in the country.

Eastern State Penitentiary opened in Philadelphia in 1829 as the world's first true penitentiary, designed by Quakers who believed solitary confinement would lead to spiritual reform. For nearly 142 years, prisoners endured complete isolation in individual cells with skylights called "the Eye of God." The prison housed notorious criminals including Al Capone, bank robber Willie Sutton, and hundreds of others who faced punishments including the "water bath" (dunked then hung outside in winter until ice formed), the "mad chair" (bound so tightly circulation was cut off), and the "iron gag" (an iron collar causing the tongue to tear and bleed).

Al Capone spent eight months here in 1929-1930 for carrying a concealed weapon. Despite enjoying luxurious accommodations with Oriental rugs, fine furniture, and a radio for listening to waltzes, Capone claimed to be tormented by the ghost of James Clark, one of his St. Valentine's Day Massacre victims. Other prisoners reported hearing Capone screaming at night, begging "Jimmy" to leave him alone. He even hired a psychic to remove the spirit, but it didn't work -- his bodyguards repeatedly rushed to his cell expecting an attack, only to find Capone alone and terrified.

Cellblock 12 is the most actively haunted area, where visitors report cackling laughter, voices from empty cells, and dark shapes moving along walls. Ghost Hunters captured footage of a figure walking through the cellblock. Cellblock 6 features shadows sliding quickly across walls and inside cells. In Cellblock 4, witnesses see tormented ghostly faces appearing in and around the cells.

"The Soap Lady" is a female ghost spotted so frequently that staff named her -- she sits in the last cell on the second floor of the former women's cellblock wearing white. The ghost of therapy dog Pep (inmate #C-2559, complete with mugshot) is heard through jangling dog tags and howls echoing through corridors. Guests have spotted a man standing in a guard tower, though the brick stairs crumbled away years ago making physical access impossible.

The decaying Gothic castle is featured on Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, MTV's Fear, and BuzzFeed Unsolved. Today it operates as a museum and hosts America's largest haunted house attraction each October.