Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Sports at ESP
After solitary confinement ended at Eastern State Penitentiary, group sports became an important part of poison life. Sports also gave the prison staff something to take away from the prisoners who didn't follow rules.
[Captions:]
An oddly-shaped baseball diamond: Eastern State's baseball field was an improvised solution in a building designed for solitary confinement. The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin reported that more than 4,300 baseballs were hit out of this baseball field in 1933 alone. Photo: collection of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, gift of Jack Flynn.
The Eastern State football team, c. 1960. Sports teams broke down racial barriers before the prison officially de-segregated in the early 1960s. Photo: collection of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.
Wheelbarrow race as documented in "Field Events," in the Eastern Echo, Fall 1966. Photo: collection of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, gift in memory Retiree Bernard M. Sekula, Correction Officer I.
Track meets were held on the roadways at the base of the perimeter wall. With as many as 1,800 people living behind these walls, recreation space was hard to find. Photo: collection of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, gift in memory of Retiree
this page online
Erected by Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • Parks & Recreational Areas • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.
Location. 39° 58.125′ N, 75° 10.347′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Eastern State Penitentiary. Marker is on 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. Eastern State in Ruin (here, next to this marker); Morgue (a few steps from this marker); Memories of the Penitentiary Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); Notable Inmate: Clarence Klinedinst (within shouting distance of this marker); The Big Graph (within shouting distance of this marker); 2020 Rate of Incarceration (within shouting distance of this marker); Incinerator (within shouting distance of this marker); A Prison Calisthenic Class (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 157 times since then and 23 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on March 26, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
