May 6, 2014

The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia once housed mobster Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton. The 980-cell Gothic-style prison, where massive gargoyles sit menacingly above its high-walled stone entrance, closed in 1971 after 142 years. On April 30, 2014, former inmates reunited to tour the facility and answer questions about their time behind bars.

: A visitor wanders through block 7 of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Opened in 1829, with the original corrective system of “confinement in solitude with labor,” the penitentiary housed about 75,000 inmates in its 142 years of operation. At Eastern State reunions, former inmates, staff and guard gather to share memories and trade stories and get a chance to describe their experiences in question-and-answer sessions with the public. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Rain falls onto block 14 of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Opened in 1829, with the original corrective system of “confinement in solitude with labor,” the penitentiary housed about 75,000 inmates in its 142 years of operation. At Eastern State reunions, former inmates, staff and guard gather to share memories and trade stories and get a chance to describe their experiences in question-and-answer sessions with the public. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Jimmy Dolan, 74, a former inmate Eastern State Penitentiary, who served a year and a half for robbery in 1961-62, returns to his cell in block 8. Opened in 1829, with the original corrective system of “confinement in solitude with labor,” the penitentiary housed about 75,000 inmates in its 142 years of operation. At Eastern State reunions, former inmates, staff and guard gather to share memories and trade stories and get a chance to describe their experiences in question-and-answer sessions with the public. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Window light illuminates the remains of a cell in block 14 of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: The Eastern State Penitentiary central observation tower is seen in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Crumbling cell blocks in Eastern State Penitentiary are seen from the central observation tower in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: A cut-out prison guard silhouette with flashlight, part of a current exhibition at Eastern State Penitentiary, stands in the grounds in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: A visitor speaks on the phone in the south corridor of the closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: A tour group uses the audio guide through block 9 of the closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Former inmate at Eastern State Penitentiary, William Harrison, 75, served 3 separate terms (1959, 1962, 1970) for larceny, forgery, and assault, and revisits his prison cell on the second level of block 14 in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Former inmate at now-closed Eastern State Penitentiary, William Harrison, 75, served 3 separate terms (1959, 1962, 1970) for larceny, forgery, and assault, and revisits the prison in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Former inmate at now-closed Eastern State Penitentiary, William Harrison, 75, served 3 separate terms (1959, 1962, 1970) for larceny, forgery, and assault, and revisits the prison in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Former inmate at Eastern State Penitentiary, William Harrison, 75, served 3 separate terms (1959, 1962, 1970) for larceny, forgery, and assault, and revisits his prison cell on the second level of block 14 in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Light illuminates walls of cell block 7 in the now-closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Former inmate at Eastern State Penitentiary, William Harrison, 75, served 3 separate terms (1959, 1962, 1970) for larceny, forgery, and assault, and revisits his prison cell on the second level of block 14 in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: The entrance to block 9 is seen at the now-closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Pedestrians pass in front of the now-closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: A painting of the Virgin Mary and child remains in the radio room of the now-closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: A tour group wanders through block 7 of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: The Eastern State Penitentiary gatehouse as viewed from the second level, in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: A tour guide welcomes a group of students from New Orleans to Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Robert Williams, 71, talks about his experience as a prison guard for six years at Eastern State Penitentiary. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Jimmy Dolan, 74, a former inmate Eastern State Penitentiary, who served a year and a half for robbery in 1961-2, talks about his experience during a reunion in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

: Chicky Goodrow, 71, talks about his experience as an inmate for one and a half years at Eastern State Penitentiary, in Philadelphia. (REUTERS/Mark Makela)

Touring Philadelphia’s infamous Eastern State Penitentiary

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