Ohio State Reformatory, State prison and museum in Mansfield, United States
Ohio State Reformatory is a former state prison and museum in Mansfield, Ohio. Its rough light-grey stone front rises to a steep grey hipped roof, with a tall central gable over a round-arched entrance and balcony. A round tower with a conical green roof and arched openings stands at the centre of the complex.
Construction began in 1886 on land that served as Camp Mordecai Bartley, a Civil War training camp, and funding delays kept the building unfinished until 1910. The first 150 inmates arrived by train on September 15, 1896, and were set to work on the sewer system and the 25-foot stone wall. A federal consent decree closed the prison in December 1990.
The 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption used the reformatory for most of its prison scenes, including Warden Norton's office, Brooks' room and the central guard room. Since 2018 the site has hosted INKcarceration, a rock and metal music and tattoo festival, and the Shawshank Hustle, a 7K race passing filming locations.
Self-guided and guided tours cover the administrative rooms and cell blocks; ghost walks and public ghost hunts run separately. The site opens Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., from April 1 to September 2, with weekend holiday tours in late winter and before Christmas. Hallways are long and uneven, so wear comfortable shoes.
The eastern cell block rises six stories and holds the record as the tallest freestanding steel cell structure anywhere. The entire construction consists of interlocking steel beams that stand without outer supporting walls.
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