Ohio State Reformatory
I visited the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio 5 years ago. I was there for one of the Preservation Society’s ghost hunts. I checked in at 8:00 PM on a Friday night and explored the building until 4:00 AM the following morning. The overall immense size and architecture of this building is astonishing and to have free range of the prison to explore unsupervised in the dark is an adrenalin rush for sure.
I cannot say I saw a ghost or experienced anything from another world on my visit to OSR, but, I can say I experienced heavy feelings of despair and even feelings of fear in a couple areas in the prison. I can not say that those feelings were brought on specifically from a supernatural force vs. my personal feelings running amuck – thinking about what it would have been like locked up for life in there.
Areas I did NOT enjoy being in: the basement (storage area for the Haunted House props) and Solitary Confinement (aka “The Hole”). These areas just did not agree with my being….I wanted to leave these areas as fast as I entered them. The basement was the worst area for me – not sure if anything bad ever happened down there or if anyone ever experienced anything. I can at least say; I did not like the dark, damp, dirt floor areas of the OSR basement. I recall they were digging up areas in the basement when I was there…long 2-3 foot deep trenches. Not sure if it was for plumbing or electrical issues but it did add to the “freak me out” feeling down there. One thing for certain, I did not like the basement areas under the Guards/Warden’s quarters!
Areas you MUST visit –
1) Guards Tower. You can travel up the small, winding stair case exiting outside high up on the roof top of OSR. Although photos are not allowed from the Guard’s Tower it’s a great view late at night plus you can look down into the new Mansfield prison right next door.
2) Area behind cells. Not sure if this was a maintenance tunnel or guard’s tunnel to peak-in on prisoners from behind the cell. This corridor has a small steel grate pathway running directly behind and between the front and back cells. The pathway is open allowing you to see directly down to each level appearing like an endless drop. After we trucked down this long narrow corridor on a steel path, which is no wider than a foot, we learned we were not suppose to go down the path. Needless to say, they locked the large steel door once we exited. However, if you have the opportunity to look in and down from one of these corridors between the inmate cell block you will find it to be a pretty cool experience.
It’s great to see that the Preservation Society’s is restoring the prison to it’s original state. There are sections fully restored so you can visually experience the real way the prison was years ago. However most still remain ias seen in below photos…in a state of peeling paint, rust, dirt and debris.
A brief history of the building:
The Ohio State Reformatory was built between 1886 – 1910 by architect Levi T. Scofield. It was built on the site of a former Civil War camp, Camp Mordecai Bartley. The prison was designed to look like the old world castles and cathedrals in Germany. The OSR was built as an intermediate prison between the Boys Industrial School in Lancaster and the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus. It was used for first time offenders, the more hardened criminals were sent to the Ohio Penitentiary.
On September 17, 1896 the first 150 inmates were brought to the OSR. The prison had not been finished at that time, so the inmates were used to build the sewer system and the twenty-five foot tall wall that surrounded the fifteen acre complex. By 1910 the prison’s construction was completed.
For awhile, the Ohio State Reformatory was considered to be one of the best prisons in the world. It still houses the world’s largest free-standing cell block at six tiers high. However, by the early 1930′s the prison was extremely overcrowded and outdated. By the 1980′s the OSR was deemed unfit to serve as a prison. The state officially stopped using it as a prison in December of 1990.
The OSR has been featured in several films and even a music video by one of my favorite bands, GodSmack. Films vary from Harry and Walter Go To New York – 1975, Tango and Cash – 1988, The Shawshank Redemption – 1993, Air Force One – 1996 and the best for last video for “Awake” by Godsmack – 2000.
Check out the video for “Awake”, the cool song which showcases this prison ‘Awake’ Video – Godsmack.
For more information on OSR visit Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society.
If you have the opportunity to visit whether you are a ghost hunter enthusiast or just enjoy historical buildings add this stop to your “Must Visit” list.
Pictures from my Visit
Below pictures were all taken late at night – make sure your flashlight doesn’t fail…or your camera flash will become your only way to see where you are walking!
Lastly….OSR hosts an AWESOME haunted house during the Halloween season. The haunted house is inside the prison and contains actors, animatronics, and props to scare the HELL out of you even more. It is truly the longest haunted house experience EVER! It lasts about 45mins! So make sure you check out the haunt theme for 2009 Hell on Earth.