The Quaker History of Eastern State Penitentiary

320 Arch Street,Philadelphia PA 19106

01 April, 2022

Description

Join Arch Street Meeting House and Eastern State Penitentiary for First Friday! Arch Street Meeting House will be hosting Matt Murphy from Eastern State Penitentiary for an evening program! Matt's presentation will discuss the many connections between Quakers, prisons, and Eastern State Penitentiary. Matt Murphy has served as the Tour Programs Supervisor at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site since 2015. Matt is responsible for creating major programming and oversees the hiring, training, and evaluation of the education staff. Matt is a seasoned expert in facilitative dialogue methodology. From Alcatraz Island to Independence National Historical Park, Matt has served as a cultural heritage interpreter at sites across the nation and has appeared on popular media outlets such as the Washington Post and the Travel Channel. This program is presented in partnership with Eastern State Penitentiary. Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust preserves, operates, and interprets the meeting house and grounds which will serve to increase public understanding of the impact and continued relevance of Quakers and Quaker history.Located in the heart of Old City, Philadelphia, Arch Street Meeting House is a museum, National Historic Landmark, and active Quaker place of worship. Constructed in 1804 on two acres of land deeded by William Penn as a burial ground to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Arch Street Meeting House has had an estimated 20,000 burials occur on its historic grounds. Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site interprets the legacy of American criminal justice reform, from the nation’s founding through to the present day, within the long-abandoned cellblocks of the nation’s most historic prison.Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Known for its grand architecture and strict discipline, this was the world's first true "penitentiary," a prison designed to inspire penitence, or true regret, in the hearts of prisoners. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells held approximately 80,000 men and women during its 142 years of operation, including bank robber "Slick Willie" Sutton and “Scarface” Al Capone.