Film buffs visit the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, every year to take the “Hollywood Tour.” They see the West Cell Block of the prison that was used in the Harrison Ford thriller, Air Force One. Tango & Cash, featuring James Caan and Diane Keaton, was also filmed there in 1976.
And, most famously, the Reformatory was the set of The Shawshank Redemption. The movie, which featured Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, came out in 1994 and received seven Oscar nominations. Most visitors go to Ohio State Reformatory for reasons other than seeing film sets. They go to see, hear, and feel the ghosts of one of the most haunted places in Ohio.
History
Like most haunted places,Ohio State Reformatory’s history started out very banal, almost dull. The Union Army trained more than four thousand soldiers on that site during the American Civil War. In 1876 the local state officials decided to build a reformatory institution for young boys who were first – time offenders. The two hundred and fifty thousand square foot Gothic – Richardsonian – Romanesque “castle” was built by Cleveland architect Levi T. Scofield in 1896.
To encourage the boys to heal and repent, Scofield tried to make the facility beautiful and give it a “church – like aura” while also building six hundred cells, the world’s tallest free – standing cell block at that time. At some point the facility shifted from a juvenile detention center to a federal prison that hosted criminals from all over the country. Things took a turn for the worse at that point.
More than two hundred men died in the prison. Some inmates committed suicide by self–immolation, or by hanging themselves after enduring the windowless solitary confinement. Some died in accidents or attempted prison escapes, some were murdered in fights, and some were supposedly killed by the prison staff after being tortured for their bad behavior. Several Corrections Officers also died. During a prison riot one was shot and another was beaten to death.
Two famous convicts, Robert Daniels and John West, were known as the “Mad Dog Killers.” They went free from the prison in 1948 thanks to “good behavior.” Instead of rejoining society as honorable, tax–paying citizens, the two men went on a killing spree. They murdered several people including the prison’s superintendent, Earl Ambrose, and his family.
Supposed Hauntings
Shadow People.
Echoes of footsteps.
Voices of people arguing in an empty room.
The scent of roses (cause unknown).
Cold spots.
White or transparent mists.
Apparitions such as a young man running.
The “we are not alone” sensation.
Harmless spirits have helped people up the stairs, breathed on their skin, or tickled their necks.
Violent spirits have punched people, held them back, and even thrown them down the stairs.