This Philadelphia Prison Was Once Infamous For Murders And Inmates 'Boiled Alive'

There have been many fictional works, novels and cinema that revolve around the concept of horrifying experiments on prison inmates but Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is no fiction. This now-decommissioned prison was infamous for decades-long dermatological, pharmaceutical and biochemical weapons research projects involving testing on inmates.

Holmesburg Prison was opened in 1896 to reduce overcrowding at Philadelphia’s Moyamensing Prison, but the facility soon became overcrowded. As a result, riots broke out here at one point, which was suppressed with such brutality by the guards that they are still talked about today. During its operation, the Philadelphia prison gained a reputation for riots, rape, torture, corruption, medical experiments and murder, some of which are always mentioned when the prison is discussed.

The 1998 book Acres of Skin: Human Experiments at Holmesburg Prison by Allen M. Hornblum documents the clinical non-therapeutic medical experiments conducted on inmates at Holmesburg Prison. Following a hunger strike in 1938, 25 prisoners identified as leaders were moved to the Klondike, a building equipped with radiators and steam pipes, with sealed windows and air vents.

There’s an ongoing debate about whether the building’s temperature reached nearly 200 degrees during an August heat wave. Some believe this claim, while others argue it’s impossible. Reports indicate that the hunger-striking prisoners were brutally beaten and allegedly boiled alive.

A riot in 1970 involved approximately 100 inmates, armed with meat cleavers, bone choppers, makeshift shovels and table legs, who wrecked the kitchen and killed several other inmates and guards. But the most controversial are the medical experiments conducted. Between 1951 and 1974, Dr Albert M. Kligman conducted a variety of medical experiments on nine-tenths of the prison population. These experiments exposed them to various diseases, chemicals, drugs and radioactive substances, resulting in skin problems and possible cancer. This was the reason the prison was nicknamed ‘terrordome’.

Holmesburg Prison was decommissioned in 1995 when it closed. As of today, the structure still stands and is occasionally used for prisoner overflow and work programmes.