Views From the Tower

The New Guard Tower, Eastern State Penitentiary 

Last week I shared behind the scenes 

still shots of filming taking place at this location. 

But I was also able to snap a few images 

here and there on the sly.

Radiating Cell Blocks From the Tower

The idea of a penitentiary was birthed in the home of Ben Franklin and

it was a whole new concept for prisons.

The Penitentiary Entrance Before The Philadelphia Skyline

In its day this was the Taj Mahal of prisons. 

Each prisoner enjoyed his own cell with vaulted ceiling and skylight, 

flush toilet, and central heating 

compared to the White House

where President Jackson 

did not have running water 

and heated with coal stoves.

View of the Old Tower and Philadelphia

But Taj Mahal 

did not last.  

Guard Tower in Black and White

Today you can tour the penitentiary 

and learn the thought process that led to building this structure for prisoners. 

It is also a pretty cool place just to see. 

Click to view my gallery on 

Eastern State Penitentiary. 

The penitentiary is located at 

2027 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130

A Successful Reinvention

Change.
You can't have life without it.
Surviving change calls for effectively adapting.
In some cases, that can mean a reinvention.

re·in·vent
to change (something) so much that it appears to be entirely new.

Enter: Bethlehem Steel.



You can probably picture it in your head.
Smoking stacks
Blasts of heat
Holes of fire
Whistles, Alarms, Shouting Men
That was then,
when Bethlehem Steel helped build the America we know.
Today, Bethlehem Steel stands silent.

But that is not the end of the story.  

The legacy lives on through such structures as the 

Golden Gate Bridge 

Alcatraz Island 

Hoover Dam 

George Washington Bridge
Madison Square Garden 

While silent, Bethlehem Steel is not forgotten. 

There is a vision.



Bethlehem Steel has survived,
and not just in the memories of those who once worked here.

The Hoover Mason Trestle
was once a rail path along the blast furnaces.
Today it is a footpath
providing visitors with an open air museum-like experience.

Around these old blast furnaces
the reinvention continues.



The site surrounding the furnaces
is dedicated to arts, culture, celebrations and entertainment.
Annually this new venue (opened 2011) offers 1,000 concerts and 8 large festivals.


Steel Stacks from the Hoover-Mason Trestle 

Funded by tax grants, corporate and private donors
the Steel Stacks looks to a promising future.



Although I find it rather poignant
that where men labored 12 hrs a day, 7 days a week,
with over 400 deaths by accidents,
we are able to find frolic and fun.


View from the Trestle 

Let's call it a
Happy Ending
and a
New Beginning.



Bethlehem Steel Stacks
101 Founder's Way
Bethlehem, PA 18015

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All images by Rebecca Haegele have been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Click on any image to go to its gallery for purchasing information.

Left to Die

Does it kill you like it kills me?
...to see these once beautiful buildings left to die?

Grand Entrance
Edited in Topaz Impressions 

The majority of the buildings on the Norristown State Hospital property are 

vacant and deteriorating. 

Another Brick in the Wall
The Acute Admissions Building #17

They are owned by the state, 

so that explains a lot. 

Building 17 

Edited with Topaz Impressions

Originally known as the
State Lunatic Hospital of Pennsylvania,
Norristown State Hospital continues to serve psychiatric patients today.

Tangled

In it's day (1880s- mid 1900s) this hospital offered:  

a library

verandas

various clubs

electrical systems 

a pathological laboratory 

an assembly hall 

a theater 

a dancing hall 

cottages for special needs or interests 

industrial shops for residents to hone their skills 

beds for 5,000 (today 150 are occupied) 

the first female physician superintendent 

modern medical care 

Peeking Inside 

While I would love to step inside and see these old sights

common sense...and the signs... say "Keep Out." 

The floors are collapsing - 

so looking inside the windows is all that is recommended.


Rapunzel's Window 

And you'll need a permit,
otherwise the staff or security will ask you to leave.


Waiting for the Bull Dozer

I don't know what plans there are for these buildings,
but in the current state
I don't see much possibility other than a bull dozer
in their future.

Norristown State Hospital
1001 Sterigere St, Norristown, PA 19401 
(610) 313-1000

$20 Topaz Coupon

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Dying for Flowers

Entwined

Empty greenhouses
represent the sad story of the floral industry
in the United States.


There Goes Business Out the Door

Once a booming local industry,
the United States now imports about 60% of its flowers.


Where the Wind Blows

The 1990s the US Govt.
reduced tariffs on floral imports from South America
(after all we want them growing flowers
not cocaine.)

Without all those pesky
tariffs, environmental and labor laws,
a Columbian rose could be bought for 6 cents
compared to the 52 cent American rose.


Happy Endings:  This manufacturing company is still in business. 

I'm thinking this is a good excuse for me
to stick to chocolate for Valentine's Day.

"Hey Honey..."

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