The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield is an unusual place, but one that draws a variety of sight-seers annually. Some come for the history of the building, constructed during an era of elaborate, ornate architecture on public buildings. Others come because of a tie to a favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption. And others because they hope for an encounter with the paranormal.
When the Ohio State Reformatory was built in the late 1890s and opened in 1896, the building’s architecture resembled a castle more than a place that would eventually come to be infamous as a prison. It is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Built by architect Levi Scofield, the building’s design incorporates several styles; such as Richardson Romanesque, Queen Anne, and Chateauesque styles – with Gothic overtones.
The building style was designed to inspire hope for the young, first-time offenders, said Thomas Clark Jr, Shawshank Specialist at the Ohio State Reformatory. It was a successful concept, according to historians, in that nine out of 10 inmates managed to turn their life around when released.
“Having hosted approximately 155,000 inmates across nearly 100 years of service, OSR was built to intervene in the lives of first-time offenders, aged as young as 15 years old,” Clark told The Buzz. “Helping them find God, an education and ultimately a job, OSR was opened in 1896 to help young criminals turn away from sin and crime and turn their lives toward productivity and redemption.”
That model of rehabilitation and life-changing strategy changed drastically in the middle of the 20th century, when the reformatory model was replaced by a prison model to house maximum security inmates. When that happened, the redemption stories were replaced by prison tales of brutality, despair and hopelessness, Clark said. According to him, these stories need to be told.
Clark said the building has also impacted popular culture as a location featured in five feature films: 1976’s Harry and Walter Go to New York, 1989’s Tango and Cash, 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption, 1997’s Air Force One, and 2019’s Escape Plan: The Extractors. It also was featured in a country music video.
It is The Shawshank Redemption, which is ranked by the users of IMDB as the number-one film of all time, that draws the most fans. The Ohio State Reformatory opened a museum dedicated to the film last year.
“People make their pilgrimages from all over the globe, to tour the intact set of this cherished movie, reliving its universal story of friendship found and hope fulfilled,” Clark said.
“With its recognizable, iconic design, its cathedral-like tone, and its highly photogenic locations, it is fast earning a reputation as ‘Hollywood’s Favorite Prison’,” Clark noted.
Tourists in the chapel attend a guided tour of the Ohio state facility. [Photo/The Ohio State Reformatory]
And it is because of Hollywood and The Shawshank Redemption, that the prison is still around for tourists to experience.
“When the producers of The Shawshank Redemption had planned to start principal photography for the movie, the site had been scheduled for demolition on the very same day,” Clark explained. “So a call was made to the Governor’s office by Eve Lapolla, then Commissioner of the Ohio Film Bureau, to request a “stay of execution” of sorts. The Governor’s office stopped the demolition crew, the movie was filmed, and since then became an iconic part of American culture.
“That one phone call helped secure the building, ensure the filming, and lead to the preservation of the site. Purchased from the state by the members of the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society, the non-profit organization that operates the former prison, the building continues to be rehabilitated, just like the characters in The Shawshank Redemption,” he said.
The prison has also been featured on television in numerous ghost-hunting themed reality shows, which draws another type of visitor exiting off of US 30 in Central Ohio. It is considered by paranormal investigators as one of the most haunted sites in America.
“OSR plays host to thousands of ghost hunters every year, who come here to commune with the spirit world, and capture sounds and images that cannot be explained on their high-tech digital equipment,” Clark said.
“That’s because there are things that happen every day that can’t be explained. From odd things like mobile phones malfunctioning, cameras failing, and watch batteries dying, to the spotting of shadow figures, the recording of audio and visual anomalies, to hearing voices in your ears and being scratched on your neck, the site remains one of the most active and fascinating locations in the United States for experiencing paranormal activity.”
There is also plenty to do to interact with the real world and modern times. OSR hosts ghost hunts, a month-long Halloween celebration, 5k races, 3-day rock concerts, car festivals, home shows, murder-mystery dinner performances, movie and music videos, fundraisers, corporate meetings, competitions and even weddings.
“OSR offers a treasure trove of things to do all year long, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year,” he said.
The ‘something for everyone’ appeal of the Ohio State Reformatory must be working. Clark said an average of more than 100,000 people come to visit each year.
The impact of these visitors brings in millions of dollars to the Mansfield community and provides a huge boost to the Richland County tourism business, Clark said.
Self-guided and tour-guided tours are available seven days a week. With the self-guided tours, visitors walk the building and use audio-visual kiosks stationed throughout the building to gain information about the building and prison blocks. An audio-wand-tour is an upgrade to the self-guided one, giving visitors access to information at locations throughout the public areas.
“You can also take one of three Guided Tours: The History Meets Hollywood Tour, the general tour of the building with special emphasis on architecture, history, and movie making; The Beyond the Bars Tour, a special tour of locations that can’t be accessed on Self-Guided Tours (such as the guard tower, the sub-basement, and the armory); and finally, The Inmate Tour, offered on weekends only, during which a former inmate Michael Humphrey guides you through the building, sharing his experiences and memories of having served at OSR for something he didn’t do and for which he was ultimately pardoned,” explained Clark.
All during the month of October, visitors can experience ‘Blood Prison’ – where the site becomes one of the most hair-raising haunted houses in the United States. Dozens of actors in Hollywood-approved makeup walk the darkened halls and spooky cells, scaring anyone brave enough to enter.
“It’s about 45 minutes of a walking nightmare that guests can’t seem to get enough of,” Clark said. “There’s truly something for everyone.”
For the first-time visitor, there are a number of highlights featured on any of the tours.
“There are so many highlights inside and outside the building! First, it’s worth seeing as a breathtaking work of art: the building’s design evokes a healthy combination of both fear and wonder,” Clark said. People rarely say it looks like a prison; they most often claim it resembles a castle, a church, a university building, a structure from a Harry Potter movie, a mansion, or a hotel.
From the large windows adorned with original stained glass, to the graceful strength of the stone columns, to the steep pitches of the gable roofs, the incredible symmetry of the East and West wings, to the breathtaking size and ancient patina of the spooky cell blocks, tours are filled with goosebumps and photo ops, to say nothing of the frequency of the paranormal activity.
Tour admission gives visitors access to two museums contained on the property. The Ohio State Corrections Museum is on the first floor of the West Wing and features five rooms of displays. Contained within these rooms are artifacts, tools, clothing, weapons, and objects from a number of penitentiaries around the state, including the electric chair that was used in more than 300 capital-crime punishments at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus.
On the second floor is the recently opened Shawshank Museum. It opened on Aug. 16. The five rooms making up this museum are filled with props, set pieces, interactive exhibits, costumes, rare posters, and other treasures related to the movie.
Ending the conversation with a tempting invitation, Clark told The Buzz: “Our site offers 250,000 square feet of spooky, historic, and cinematic explorations. As we like to say to first-time visitors, ‘Expect the Unexpected.’”