article_snippet: The prison, which closed a hood doors in 1971, is considered by many people as one of the most haunted buildings in America.
article_snippet: Haunted halls: Eastern State Penitentiary was the first prison in America to implement solitary confinement and is believed to be one of the most haunted buildings in America .
article_snippet: Ghostly sightings: the first prison in America to implement solitary confinement closed down in 1971 and reopened as a museum in 1996, but tourists still report ghostly sightings .
article_snippet: Those who believe in ghost stories say the trouble souls of the mistreated inmates still roam Eastern State's crumbling hallways .
article_snippet: The Philadelphia prison's 142-year history is steeped in controversy and cruelty and Those who believe in ghost stories say the troubled souls of inmates still roam the abandoned halls.
article_snippet: Housed inside great, stone walls - Eastern State was just as famous for its wagon-wheel design as its wagon-wheel design was for the cruelty inflicted on prisoners .
article_snippet: Eastern State certainly has the appearance of a haunted building with Eastern State rusting walls and claustrophobia-inducing cells which once housed thousands of hardcore criminals .
article_snippet: Since 1996 it has been a museum and Halloween attraction but visitors still report eerie sightings and noises from the once-notorious prison.
article_snippet: Tourists claim there have been mysterious footsteps in the yard, the sound of pacing in empty cells and strange noises drifting through the ever-cold hallways.
article_snippet: Cell Block 12 has become infamous for reports of chilling laughter and one guard tower sometimes appears to be occupied by a shadowy figure keeping watch over Eastern State.
highlights_snippet: Shut down in 1971 and reopened in 1996 as a museum and Halloween attraction but ghostly sightings continue .
  
highlights_snippet: Visitors have reported anguished cries coming from the cells and a shadowy figure who watches over the prison .