Veterans Day

Spend your Veterans Day Weekend learning more about veterans and the criminal justice system through limited-time, family-friendly programs, included with admission. 

• Pop-Up Exhibit: Veterans and Wartime at Eastern State
  Hundreds of people who lived and worked at Eastern State served in the military, including staff, prisoners and wardens. View a special pop-up exhibit featuring photos, documents, and artifacts that tell the story of veterans and wartime throughout Eastern State Penitentiary’s history.
   
• Pop-Up Talks: World War I at Eastern State
  During the first World War, Eastern State Warden Robert McKenty successfully lobbied state and federal officials to allow prisoners to serve in the military. More than 120 people incarcerated at Eastern State went on to serve, and thousands of others contributed to war efforts in many different ways on the home front. Learn more with this 10-minute pop-up talk led by an Eastern State educator.
   
• Video Screening: Veterans, Prisons, and Courts Today
  Documentary footage reveals the impact of the criminal justice system on veterans today. Learn more about Veteran Treatment Courts, created in 2008, and how this alternative to the mainstream legal system provides treatment and accountability plans for justice-involved veterans. Get a closer look at some of the growing number of dedicated veteran cellblocks in prisons and jails across the country.