Long before Eastern State Penitentiary became a popular ghost tour destination, it pioneered a radical experiment: complete isolation designed to force repentance. When that system collapsed under overcrowding, the punishment only grew harsher. Built in the 1920s beneath Cellblock 14, a dark block of windowless underground cells known as "Klondike" (or The Hole) was used to discipline inmates who broke strict prison rules. Sentenced to total darkness with minimal ventilation and zero human contact, men spent days or weeks cut off from the outside world. Decades after the prison closed in 1971, that intense psychological history left a lasting mark on the site's physical environment and local folklore. In 1993, locksmith Gary Johnson was restoring an original lock in Cellblock 4 when he described being hit by an icy wave of energy that left him briefly paralyzed. According to his account, a series of distorted faces materialized along the cell wall before vanishing into the dark. Today, visitors walking the historic corridors often report sudden temperature drops, unnatural drafts near old maintenance shafts, and the distinct feeling of claustrophobic pressure. Whether attributed to structural decay, extreme drafts, or stored physical memory, the architecture of Eastern State remains a stark reminder of early penal isolation. Have you ever visited Eastern State Penitentiary? If so, did you experience anything? The decaying corridors of Eastern State Penitentiary. Source: Sailingstone Travel