Almost every Ohio native is familiar with the Ohio State Reformatory. This old prison is a major tourist attraction to not only the people already in Ohio, but people coming in for a weekend trip. Dating back to 1886, this is one of the oldest prisons in Ohio. With its rich history, ghost stories, and fame for hosting movies such as the Shawshank Redemption, the Ohio State Reformatory brings popularity to the North Central Ohio area.
Although the Ohio State Reformatory, formerly known as Mansfield Reformatory, was built in 1886, the history dates back to the Civil War. “More than 4,000 soldiers were trained for action in the Civil War at a camp which stood on the present site of the Mansfield Reformatory” (Mansfield News Journal, 1970, para.1). …show more content…
Some of the prisoners sent to Mansfield never left, no matter what the crime. Although it was very common to die of a disease or infection, this prison was pretty violent. The violence may have caused death to a number of prisoners. A few suicides took place in the prison. It is known that one person managed to hang himself, another caught himself on fire. The worst of the violence took place beneath the prison ground in a place called “the hole” by the felons. This was an isolated room below the prison, intended to break down the people sent in. The most famous urban legend associated with the hole tells about two people going in and only one person leaving. The other one was left dead underneath the bunk. The chilling deaths that occured on the grounds of the Ohio State Reformatory makes it a huge tourist attraction, but one of the worst events happened outside of the prison. News Channel 4 of Columbus, Ohio reported “In July 1948, when the Reformatory's farm boss, his wife and daughter were kidnapped and shot to death by two parolees bent on revenge” (para.1 1997). Every Halloween season they have a haunted house inside of the old prison. They also provide a less gruesome tour for people more interested in the historic side. With that tour, visitors are taken through the abandoned walls of the reformatory and taught about the chilling history that …show more content…
The Reformatory takes great pride in the movies shot there, with a tour dedicated solely to Shawshank Redemption referred to as the Shawshank Trail. This tour takes guests through all the major sets like the warden’s office, the library, and even the sewer pipe that was used as an escape route for Tim Robbins’ character to escape from the reformatory. Aside from the movies, many television shows have used the prison as a set, the most famous being the Ghost Adventures. “The crew saw various orbs or shadowy figures in several areas of the reformatory”