“Over the head and face of every prisoner who comes into this melancholy house, a black hood is drawn; and in this dark shroud, an emblem of the curtain dropped between him and the living world...” - Charles Dickens, 1843. The prisoners were allowed to remove these hoods only when in their cells or exercise yards. The hoods were intended to prevent communication, keep the prisoners’ identity secret and keep the design of the prison a mystery. The hoods were officially discontinued in 1903.

There were several public scandals throughout the history of Eastern State Penitentiary. An 1834 investigation described described “Quilting Parties,” illegal gatherings of prisoners and staff, during which food and alcoholic beverages were served. Mrs. Blundin, wife of one of the penitentiary Overseers, allegedly organized these events. The investigation found that Prisoner Number 100, an African-American woman named Ann Hinson, played the fiddle while guests danced.

In the 1950s and 1960s, as newer prisons opened, Eastern State’s inmate population aged dramatically. Although still a maximum-security prison, Eastern State became known as a relatively low-key institution. Warden William Banmiller made a controversial decision in the late 1950s, allowing television sets in the cellblock corridors. Inmates gathered on small stools and watched sets propped on high shelves. (One of these shelves can still be seen in a cell at Eastern State.)