Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Memories of the Penitentiary Hospital
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 19, 2022
1. Memories of the Penitentiary Hospital Marker
By the 1950s and 60s, Eastern State's medical wing had become an unusually well-equipped and sophisticated prison hospital. Inmates with challenging medical conditions were often transferred here for treatment.
In a typical week the operating room might be used for heart surgery, joint repair, emergency trauma, and plastic surgery. An ambitious psychiatric staff introduced new therapies in the 1960s. Inmates worked as clerks, orderlies and nurses.
The bustling hospital had a reputation for being well-run, if perhaps "a little mad at times...."
[Captions:]
Above Left: Making the Rounds: Medical staff visit inmates in the Recovery Room. Photo: used in the Eastern Echo, Summer 1958, collection of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, courtesy of Norman Maisenhelder's daughter.
Above: "Operation To-Day:" The men wheeling the patient are most likely inmate orderlies. Photo: used in the Eastern Echo, Summer 1958, collection of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, courtesy of Norman Maisenhelder's daughter.
Erected by Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement
this page online
Location. 39° 58.108′ N, 75° 10.351′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Eastern State Penitentiary. Marker can be reached from Fairmount Avenue west of Corinthian Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2027 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia PA 19130, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Notable Inmate: Clarence Klinedinst (here, next to this marker); Eastern State in Ruin (within shouting distance of this marker); Sports at ESP (within shouting distance of this marker); Synagogue (within shouting distance of this marker); A Prison Calisthenic Class (within shouting distance of this marker); Morgue (within shouting distance of this marker); Death Row Courtyard (within shouting distance of this marker); Punishment Area: Cellblock 13 (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 19, 2022
2. Memories of the Penitentiary Hospital Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 94 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 25, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
