The Moyamensing Prison.

We often find interesting tidbits of information while we are watching some of our favorite shows.  Usually, the info somehow distorts what we know to be history or changes it up a bit and makes you question it to see what the truth really is.  Our latest interest comes from a Supernatural episode.  They make references to the Moyamensing Prison.

Cool factoids about the historical Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia.

~The architect for this project was Thomas Walter.  Mr. Walter was one of the designers of the wings and the dome of the Capitol building.  He used a combination of Ancient Egyptian style designs and Gothic styles to design the Moyamensing Prison.

from wiki

~The prison was opened in 1835.  It took over three years to complete.  The prison was demolished in 1968 and all that remains is a small masonry stone wall.  Today this historical site is home to an ACME market.  Bummer!  A plaque was made to commemorate the prison and its historical significance.

~A few famous folks graced the prison with their presence Edgar Allen Poe and Al Capone.  Edgar was apparently drunk, belligerent, and suicidal one night in 1849 so he was arrested and spent the night in the prison.  Al Capone spent only one night there too while being transferred to another prison.

including

~The last execution by hanging in Pennsylvania occurred at the Moyamensing prison in 1916.

~Dr. H.H. Holmes (Herman Webster Mudgett), America's first serial killer, was housed and later hanged at Moyamensing in 1896.  Dr. Holmes was a con artist.  He became famous during the Chicago World's Fair where he lured victims to his "murder castle" and killed them.

Pretty cool stuff!

Here is an article from philly.com.