My visit to the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, OH was both extraordinary and bone-chilling. The Reformatory is on 100 Reformatory Rd. Mansfield, OH 44905.
According to Dead Ohio, The Ohio State Reformatory was built in 1886. After 94 years of being open it was closed in 1990 after it became known for abuse and torture. The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society took over in 1995 and opened it up to the public. They started giving ghost tours once it opened up to the public. The place has been used to shoot movies and music videos, such as the famous Shawshank Redemption. The place has been a hot spot for ghost hunters and ghost junkies because many paranormal activities have been photographed, heard and sometimes felt.
I decided to go during the day because going at night didn't sound like a good idea at the time. Going during the day was already bone chilling. Instead of a tour I asked for the device that tells you the stories as you walk in the rooms on your own.
The tour starts upstairs where the warden and his family lived. You got to see his office and hear ghost stories of chairs rocking by themselves. They had many posters of the Shawshank Redemption characters standing around the building.
Next, was their place of worship which was a beautiful sight and amazing architecture. The ghost story was both sad and bone chilling. It was told that occasionally they would hear a woman crying in the place of worship.
After that, the next place would be the cells. This place was both breathtaking and bone chilling. It was huge and the amount of cells were insane. Walking through them would not be a good idea for those who were scared of heights. The ghost story of the cells was that occasionally at nights people said they could hear inmates talking and doors of the cells opening and closing. Inside the cells were very small but the place was huge and that was only one wing.
Throughout the entire trip I was glad to not have a paranormal feeling in the pit of my stomach until I got to the solidarity wing. I walked into this wing and automatically a bad feeling rushes over you that was both bone chilling and sad. To add to the feeling the device I had, told the story that this place had strange occurrences, such as being pushed and one person who got violently ill in there but was instantly better once they got out of the prison. Hearing this while you are in the wing gave me a really bad feeling and I later "casually" rushed out of the wing.
There were many other places and stories but I will leave those a mystery. The Reformatory was a huge place so there is a lot more to see such as the hospital ward, the bathrooms and a whole other wing of the prison. Although I don't recommend bringing younger kids to this, I do recommend this place for anybody else. If you are more of a ghost junkie, they have night visits and a halloween special. If you are like me and are interested in the architecture and history but still want to hear the ghost stories, I suggest going during the day but asking for their device that tells you the stories. You can also choose if you want to hear the stories in certain places. The Ohio State Reformatory was an amazing place and I have been wanting to go again. This place is eye opening to how the prison was like and brings chills to your bones. The architecture is amazing and the history is very real. It was an amazing experience and I recommend taking the trip because it is worth it.
