The first Penitentiary. It was designed to be different and more humane then existing jails and prisons when first planned in the late 1700's. When it was finally built in 1829, it was the first facility designed to place prisoners in solitary confinment in the belief that it would make the prisoners "penitent" and easier to rehabilitate. While the experiment failed, Eastern State would go on to house some very infamous inmates, including Al Capone. http://www.easternstate.org