Ohio State Reformatory

Mansfield, Ohio

The Illinois Ghost Society

2009

Building started in 1886

it was finished in 1910

The Ohio State Reformatory was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained open until 1990 when it was closed by a United States Federal Court order. The Mansfield Reformatory is a historic prison located in Mansfield, Ohio. The facility was used in many films ( some of which while the prison was still operational ) the most famous of films shot here was The Shawshank Redemption (1994). It was used in most of the scenes in the movie. Including TV and Music Videos.

The Reformatory closed in 1990

The Ohio Sate Reformatory's history began on a field where in 1862 the site was occupied by a training camp for civil war soldiers. The camp was called Camp Mordecal Bartley in honor of the man who was the Ohio Governor in the 1840's.

Mansfield was nominated as a candidate in 1862 for the site of the new Intermediate Penitentiary ( the original name before it was changed to the Ohio State Reformitory). $10,000 was raised by the city to purchase 30 acres of land for the penetentiary and the state of Ohio purchased 150 acres of adjoining land for $20,000, the facility cost was $1,326, 769. The Intermediate ( Ohio State Reformatory ) Penetentiary, it was intended to be a half way point between the Boy's Industrial School in Lancaster and the State Penetentiary in Columbus that was intended to house young first time offenders. The construction began in 1886 and remained under construction, due to funding problems it wasn't finished until 1910.

Levi T. Scofield from Cleveland was the original architect for the Reformatory design. Three different design styles were used by Scofield, they were: Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Queen Anne. These unique design styles were used by Scofield for the Reformatory to encourage inmates to be re-born back into they're spiritual lives. The creation and construction of the building was entrusted to

F.F. Schnitzer a well-known architect whose name also appears on the cornerstone. He is recorded as Superintendent and Supervising Architect on documents that are found there. The name was changed from Intermediate Penitentiary to Ohio State Reformatory in 1891.

The Reformatory opened its doors on September 15, 1896 to its first 150 inmates. The prisoners were brought from Columbus by train they were immediately put to work on the prisons sewer system and the 25 foot stone wall that surrounds the complex. The Governor of Ohio presented Schnitzer with a silver double inkwell in a lavish ceremony for his services. Built with brick and concrete

the exterior of the building which is designed in Romanesque style giving the frontage a castle like look.

Arthur Lewis Glattke was the superintendent of the Reformitory from 1935 to 1959. Following his work on the Martin Davey campaign, his appointment as superintendent was initially political. Glattke by all accounts was respected by inmates and professionals alike. Many reforms were implemented by Glattke, such as piped in radio music in the cell blocks. Three days following an accident itn the family quarters, Glattke's wife Helen Bauer Glattke died of pneumonia, a handgun accidentally discharged

while she was reaching into a jewelry box in the closet November 1950. On February 10th, 1959 Glattke

suffered a fatal heart attack in his office. Over 200 people died at the Ohio State Reformatory including 2 guards killed during escape attempts.

The Reformatory remained open until it was closed by court order in 1990. A prisoner's class action suit ( Boyd vs. Denton, C.A. 78-1054A (N.D.OH.) ). Citing overcrowding and inhumane

conditions. Federal District Judge Frank J. Battisti of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, ordered the facility closed by the end of 1986. The order was known as The Boyd Consent Decree. The closing date was moved to December 1990 due to the delays constructing the

Replacement facility, The Mansfield Correctional Institution that stands west of the reformatory. Most of the grounds and support buildings, including the surrounding wall since its closing. In 1995 the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed and turned it into a museum and conduct tours to help with the preservation of the prison from further deterioration. The east cell block remains the largest free standing steel cell block in the world at six tiers high.

In March of 2009, TIGS did an investigation in the Reformatory. It was 66 degrees and there was no mist when these photo's were taken.

While we got these awesome photo's we didnt get much else except some feeling of uneasiness in the shower area.