About This Location
The Ohio State Reformatory, also known as Mansfield Reformatory, is a Romanesque Revival prison built between 1886 and 1910. The imposing structure housed over 150,000 inmates during its operation until 1990, when a federal court ordered it closed due to overcrowding and inhumane conditions. The prison is famous as the filming location for The Shawshank Redemption and has been featured on numerous paranormal television shows including Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures.
The Ghost Story
More than 200 people died within these walls, including two guards, and their spirits are said to still roam the cellblocks. A guard killed in Solitary Confinement in 1932 reportedly still makes his rounds, jabbing visitors with his nightstick and pushing guests. Shadow people are frequently seen in the six-tier East Cell Block, the largest freestanding steel cell block in the world. Visitors experience footsteps, disembodied voices, whispers, and physical contact including hair pulling and scratching. The warden's wife was accidentally killed in her quarters when a handgun discharged from a jewelry box shelf, and her spirit is said to linger in the administrative wing. The prison offers ghost hunts, paranormal investigation classes, and the terrifying Blood Prison haunted attraction each Halloween season.