Ohio State Reformatory
The Ohio State Reformatory looks more like Dracula's castle, than a prison. The ponderous buildings were built in the Romanesque Revival style by F.F. Schnitzer, between 1886-1910 and they sit upon 15 acres of land, in Mansfield, Ohio.
It is over 250,000 square feet in mass and at six levels in height, the reformatory remains, the largest free-standing cell block, on the planet!
The sewer system and the massive rock wall that surrounds the facility were built by the first group of inmates, to arrive for their punishment. Over 155,000 inmates lived within these stone blocks and walked the long, dark echoing hallways, leaving behind a dense energy. More then 200 pathetic souls, would never leave because they were claimed by the Grim Reaper.
They turned out the lights in the facility, for the last time in December of 1990 and it is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Though no longer a prison, the building continues to be of service to those who want a dramatic and startling atmosphere. Hollywood has come calling for many movies, such as the "Shawshank Redemption", which was released in 1994.
The prison has seen it's share of evil and barbarous characters, such as the notorious, " Mad Dog Killers." This heinous duo, were both former inmates of the OSR. Upon being released from prison in 1948.....they went on a rampage of murder......terrifying the entire region.
First on the macabre list, was a tavern owner named Earl Ambrose.....followed by John Niebel, his wife and daughter. All three family members were taken out to a remote corn field and slaughtered in cold blood!
Next in the murdering mayhem, came farmer Tiffin and his new bride. The young bride managed to somehow escape but her newlywed husband was not so lucky. The very last victim on the horror spree, was a truck driver, whom they shot dead. Within two days of the last murder, the police had the pair trapped inside a road block.
Another shocking character of the OSR, was an inmate named, Lockheart. A former inmate gives a complete account, of this frightful event that took place in a particular cell. The account is relayed to Zak, a paranormal investigator, from the Ghost Adventures Crew, during a recent tour. This seems too dreadful to even imagine but Lockheart actually doused himself with paint thinner , then calmly took a match and set his fragile body ablaze. Lockheart was cooked alive, by the time help could arrive. As they pulled his still smoking carcass from the cell, chunks of melted fat and burnt flesh fell from Lockheart's skeleton and stuck like hot wax, upon the floor. The smell of burnt hair and flesh, on that very dark day, was nauseating.
Suicide attempts and actual suicides, came as no surprise to the staff at the OSR. One inmate successfully killed himself ...............by hanging by his neck, inside of his dank .....dreary prison cell.
It was also common place, for the inmates to turn on each other. Another gruesome account at the OSR, states that two convicts were placed into ONE solitary cell for the night. By the time morning arrived, one man had been horribly murdered and was laying crumpled and stagnant, under the bed.
The inmates were not the only ones to die untimely deaths. Two guards were murdered while on duty at the facility. One was shot to death, during an escape attempt and the other was bludgeoned to his dissolution, by a prisoner ...... wielding a metal bar inside of solitary confinement.
The energy inside of this gloomy place is heavy. The misery, sorrow, and dread that were daily emotions here, can still be felt when you walk in............and of course there are always the souls of the damned, that have remained behind. There they sit, invisible to your eyes but felt by your being.
MANY SOULS ARE STILL THERE..........AT THE OHIO STATE REFORMATORY. Rage and hate weigh heavy upon their chaos filled spirits, grounding them to this plain of existence.
It is over 250,000 square feet in mass and at six levels in height, the reformatory remains, the largest free-standing cell block, on the planet!
The sewer system and the massive rock wall that surrounds the facility were built by the first group of inmates, to arrive for their punishment. Over 155,000 inmates lived within these stone blocks and walked the long, dark echoing hallways, leaving behind a dense energy. More then 200 pathetic souls, would never leave because they were claimed by the Grim Reaper.
They turned out the lights in the facility, for the last time in December of 1990 and it is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Though no longer a prison, the building continues to be of service to those who want a dramatic and startling atmosphere. Hollywood has come calling for many movies, such as the "Shawshank Redemption", which was released in 1994.
The prison has seen it's share of evil and barbarous characters, such as the notorious, " Mad Dog Killers." This heinous duo, were both former inmates of the OSR. Upon being released from prison in 1948.....they went on a rampage of murder......terrifying the entire region.
First on the macabre list, was a tavern owner named Earl Ambrose.....followed by John Niebel, his wife and daughter. All three family members were taken out to a remote corn field and slaughtered in cold blood!
Next in the murdering mayhem, came farmer Tiffin and his new bride. The young bride managed to somehow escape but her newlywed husband was not so lucky. The very last victim on the horror spree, was a truck driver, whom they shot dead. Within two days of the last murder, the police had the pair trapped inside a road block.
Another shocking character of the OSR, was an inmate named, Lockheart. A former inmate gives a complete account, of this frightful event that took place in a particular cell. The account is relayed to Zak, a paranormal investigator, from the Ghost Adventures Crew, during a recent tour. This seems too dreadful to even imagine but Lockheart actually doused himself with paint thinner , then calmly took a match and set his fragile body ablaze. Lockheart was cooked alive, by the time help could arrive. As they pulled his still smoking carcass from the cell, chunks of melted fat and burnt flesh fell from Lockheart's skeleton and stuck like hot wax, upon the floor. The smell of burnt hair and flesh, on that very dark day, was nauseating.
Suicide attempts and actual suicides, came as no surprise to the staff at the OSR. One inmate successfully killed himself ...............by hanging by his neck, inside of his dank .....dreary prison cell.
It was also common place, for the inmates to turn on each other. Another gruesome account at the OSR, states that two convicts were placed into ONE solitary cell for the night. By the time morning arrived, one man had been horribly murdered and was laying crumpled and stagnant, under the bed.
The inmates were not the only ones to die untimely deaths. Two guards were murdered while on duty at the facility. One was shot to death, during an escape attempt and the other was bludgeoned to his dissolution, by a prisoner ...... wielding a metal bar inside of solitary confinement.
The energy inside of this gloomy place is heavy. The misery, sorrow, and dread that were daily emotions here, can still be felt when you walk in............and of course there are always the souls of the damned, that have remained behind. There they sit, invisible to your eyes but felt by your being.
MANY SOULS ARE STILL THERE..........AT THE OHIO STATE REFORMATORY. Rage and hate weigh heavy upon their chaos filled spirits, grounding them to this plain of existence.
The Ghost Adventures crew shot a lock down episode at the OSR and it aired on the Travel Channel. Here is a clip from the show.......................................................
Want to take a tour? Are you brave enough to go on a ghost walk?
Check out the Ohio State Reformatory website for tour dates and times........................................
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