Eastern State Penitentiary

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Eastern State Penitentiary is located in this historic city, which also brought Americans their first hospital, medical school, zoo, fire insurance company, public library, bank, municipal water system, and post office. Answer: (If you think of the man behind many of these firsts, you'll have a clue.)

2. One of the many firsts about Eastern State Penitentiary is evident in its very name. Which first is this? It was the first to keep prisoners in separate cells or "pens" rather than massing them together in large rooms. It was the first "penitentiary" -- meant to inspire penance or remorse rather than to punish. It was the first to be designed on a five-sided pentagonal plan. It was the first -- and only -- penal institution to be designed for penitents, who admitted their guilt rather than going to trial. These remorseful prisoners were taught a trade rather than punished.

3. Eastern State Penitentiary brought a technological first to American public buildings. What was it? It was the first large public building with an intercom system. All of these. It was the first large public building with built-in gas lighting. It was the first large public building with flush toilets and central heating.

4. One aspect of Eastern State Penitentiary was revolutionary, bringing to full fruition what had only been done on a small scale before, and inspiring the design of over 300 other prison facilities around the world. What was this innovative design factor? The facility was built on a radial design, with all cell blocks visible from a central hub area. It had a system of mirrors -- later replaced with closed-circuit TV cameras -- that allowed guards in a central area to view all cell block areas. It was in a panopticon design, that allowed the guards in the central area to see into every cell. It was the first facility to use barred gates and doors, rather than solid doors, thus allowing guards to see into the cells easily.

5. Eastern State Penitentiary's revolutionary design and system drew visitors from all over the world, including Alexis de Tocqueville and Charles Dickens. Tocqueville approved of the central concept behind Eastern's design, believing it was humane and would achieve its noble ends. Dickens was appalled and pulled no punches in saying so. Time has proven Dickens right. What the reformers had intended as compassionate treatment of prisoners turned out to be cruel and damaging. What was this central concept? Total solitary confinement Cold water "shock" treatments Hard labor Lobotomies

6. Perhaps Eastern State Penitentiary's most famous prisoner, this gangster served eight months there on a weapons charge in 1929. He donated sports uniforms to the facility, and in return was granted a luxurious cell which was rarely locked. Eventually the IRS caught up with him and he served six years in a federal prison. Answer: (Think Scarface and Elliot Ness)

7. This bank robber, a famous prisoner of Eastern State Penitentiary, took credit for masterminding a breakout that won him roughly eight minutes of freedom in 1945. Had he been honest about his role in the breakout, he'd have possibly said that he was where he was on that April day "because that's where the tunnel is." Answer: (Two Words)

8. Charles Yerkes was an American financier who played a major part in developing mass-transit systems in Chicago and London. He contributed nearly $300,000 to the University of Chicago to establish what would become known as the Yerkes Observatory, and had a crater on the moon named after him. What is his connection with Eastern State Penitentiary? He launched his financial career using inmate labor from Eastern State. He served time there in the 1870s. He donated the funds to build a hospital wing. He spearheaded a public campaign to improve prison conditions.

9. In 1924, Prisoner Number C2559 was sentenced to life at Eastern State Penitentiary for killing a cat. Why was Prisoner Number C2559 given such a harsh sentence? He had an unusal skull shape, which phrenologists thought denoted a "murderous personality". He was locked up so his murderous urges wouldn't harm humans. He had escaped from Eastern and killed the judge's cat as revenge. He was believed to have murdered a child, but evidence was scanty, so he was prosecuted for the cat's death and given a harsh sentece for aggravating circumstances. He was a dog, and the cat belonged the the Governor's wife.

10. Only one prisoner who escaped from Eastern State Penitentiary was never caught or otherwise returned to prison: Leo Callahan. Callahan was one of six inmates to make it out over the 30-foot-tall perimeter wall using a wooden ladder fashioned by George Brown, an inmate who worked in the carpentry shop. How did prisoners manage to hide a ladder that big? One of the inmates was a trusty who was able to stash the ladder in a maintenence shed, where it blended in with other equipment. The ladder was made from sections disguised as small tables, which the inmates kept in their cells. It was disguised as a pair of picnic tables for the exercise yard. They didn't bother to hide it. They pretended they were using it to do roof repairs on Cell Block 4.