Latest / Mystery Archives Episodes / The Untold Story Of Ohio State Reformatory - Mansfield | America's Most Haunted Prison?

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The Untold Story Of Ohio State Reformatory - Mansfield | America's Most Haunted Prison? · Mystery Archives Episodes

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Behind the towering stone walls of Ohio's most infamous prison,
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the dead still serve their time. Welcome to the Ohio State
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Reformatory, a place where shadows crawl across cellblock
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walls, where whispers echo from solitary confinement, and where
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the scent of roses signals A ghostly presence watching you
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from the dark. From violent deaths and demonic
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sightings to one of the most haunted places in America.
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This is no ordinary prison. This is Mansfield and its
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inmates may be long gone, but they never truly left.
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Hey everyone, quick word from yours truly here.
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I appreciate you all, as always. And now let's get back to
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today's video. In order to tell this story
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properly, we must first start at the very beginning with its
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history. The story of the Ohio State
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Reformatory begins amid the turmoil of the Civil War in
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1862. The site in Mansfield, OH was
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Camp Mordecai Bardley, a training ground for Union
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soldiers. After the war, Mansfield leaders
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lobbied for a new state prison on that very field.
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In 1867, the city raised $10,000 to buy 30 acres and the state
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added 20,000 more dollars for another 150 more acres.
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This would become the Intermediate Penitentiary,
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envisioned as a halfway point between the Juvenile Reform
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School and the State Penitentiary, a place for young,
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first time offenders rather than hardened criminals.
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Construction officially commenced with a grand
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cornerstone ceremony on November 4th of 1886.
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A crowd of 15,000 gathered for a parade and speeches by
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dignitaries including former President Rutherford B Hayes.
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The prison's architect, Levi T Schofield of Cleveland, took
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inspiration from German castles for a design that was at once
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intimidating. The imposing structure blended
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Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne
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styles, its stone facade evoking a fortress like Castle meant to
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encourage inmates back to a rebirth of their spiritual
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lives, away from their sinful lifestyle and toward repentance.
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By 1896, the main cell blocks in Administration building were
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finally ready for use. On September 15th, 1896, the
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Ohio State Reformatory, or OSR as it was renamed in 1891,
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opened its doors to the 1st 150 inmates who arrived by train
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from Columbus. Locals turned out to watch the
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procession of prisoners in striped uniforms, and the
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newcomers obligingly waved and cracked jokes as they marched to
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the train and then to their new cells.
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The prism was not even finished yet.
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Those first inmates were immediately put to work mixing
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concrete, digging the sewer lines and erecting a 25 foot
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Stonewall around the 15 acre complex.
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Construction of the sprawling facility would not be fully
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complete until 1910. Supervising architect FF
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Schnitzer, whose name is on the cornerstone, was honored in 1896
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with the silver inkwell for overseeing the monumental
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project. When finally done, the
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Reformatory was one of the most expensive and striking prisons
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of its era, and it was considered to be one of the best
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in the country at the time it was built.
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Under its first wardens, the Ohio State Reformatory pursued
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an optimistic mission of rehabilitation.
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It accepted young men who had committed moderately serious
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crimes but were deemed salvageable, inmates too old for
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juvenile corrections but more minor than those that sent
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others to the Ohio State Penitentiary.
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The institution truly aimed to reform rather than merely
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punish, and in practice that meant a strict but progressive
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regimen. Inmates attended Chapel for
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religious instruction or given education and academic subjects
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and learn trades like plumbing, engineering, or carpentry to
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prepare them for an honest living.
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Most men were sentenced to an indefinite 18 month term.
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If they demonstrated good behavior and self improvement,
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they could be paroled after that period.
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If not, they were kept another 18 months for further reform.
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In the early years, this approach appeared successful.
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OSR reportedly boasted one of the lowest recidivism rates in
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the nation as many first timers left and took advantage of their
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second chances in life instead of reoffending the prisons.
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Castle, like architecture with its grand arched entry and light
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filled corridors, was intended to inspire inmates rather than
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crush their spirits. For several decades, Ohio State
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Reformatory was held up as a model, a place that must not
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only penalize, but furnish the incentive for convicts to remake
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themselves into law abiding citizens.
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But beneath this veneer of hope, however, discipline was strict
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and the penalties for disobedience could be harsh.
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Solitary confinement, also known as the whole, awaited rule
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Breakers. Inmates worked long hours in
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prison industries and on the prison's farm, and still no
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major disturbances marred the early decades.
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There were even a few light hearted moments.
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In 1921, two clever young inmates managed to run a
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counterfeiting ring inside OSR, printing fake $5 bills and
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slipping them to the guards to spend outside.
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They were caught by a suspicious Superintendent and handed over
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to federal authorities upon release.
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Such stories aside, most prisoners did their time quietly
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and earned their release. By the late 1920s, however, two
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ominous trends were developing. The inmate population was rising
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and a new class of more dangerous prisoners was
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appearing within OS Rs walls. In April 1930, tragedy struck
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the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus.
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A horrific fire tore through that overcrowded penitentiary,
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killing 320 inmates trapped in their cells.
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The thought of being trapped and burning to death is an absolute
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nightmare scenario in my opinion, and one of the worst
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ways one could go. It remains one of the worst
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prison disasters in U.S. history to date.
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In the aftermath, surviving convicts from Columbus had to be
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dispersed to other prisons. Many of those transferees were
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hardened, violent men. The worst of the worst, rapists,
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murderers, lifers, and Ohio State Reformatory was forced to
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take in hundreds of them. This influx in 1930 to 31
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utterly changed the character of the facility forever.
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The serene reform school for wayward youth now housed
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seasoned criminals, gangsters, and desperate repeat offenders.
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The population swelled well beyond the prisons design
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capacity and conditions quickly deteriorated.
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Cells built for one now held two, even three men in the
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bunks. Resources were strained and
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tensions ran high. As one paranormal tour guide
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later observed of OS Rs mid century turn, men who were
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incarcerated here had terrible pasts and had a terrible time
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here. There was a lot of violence in
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the cell blocks. On November 2nd, 1926, just
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prior to the Columbus fire influx, a 72 year old night
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watchman named Urban Wilford was posted at the Westgate when a
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recently paroled former inmate crept back into the prison.
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The ex-con named Philip Orlick had returned armed with a
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revolver, determined to break out a friend who was still
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inside. Wilford surprised Orlick during
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the attempted prison break and was fatally shot in the
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struggle. Orlich fled, but authorities
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captured him two months later. He died in the electric chair at
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the Ohio Penitentiary the following year.
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Wilford's killing sent a shock through the staff.
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It was a grim first for the reformatory, and, unfortunately,
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not the last. Less than six years later, on
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October 2nd, 1932, Officer Frank Hanger was making the rounds
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near the solitary confinement block when he stumbled upon an
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escape plot in progress. A dozen inmates crammed into the
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hole after a failed riot or disciplinary roundup had managed
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to overpower a guard and were attempting A breakout.
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Unarmed and alone, Hanger tried to stop the group.
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The prisoner swarmed him and one struck hanger in the head with
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an iron bar, inflicting a mortal wound.
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The 48 year old guard died as a result of his injuries.
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The escape attempt was squashed and all 12 conspirators were
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brought under control. 2 ringleaders, Merrill Chandler
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and Chester Proboski, were convicted of Hanger's murder and
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were executed in the electric chair in 1935.
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To this day, some say the spirit of the guard still stalks the
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solitary ranges. Visitors on ghost tours claim an
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unseen presence sometimes Japs them with a night stick in the
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darkness, as if a guard killed in solitary confinement back in
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1932. We're still doing his rounds.
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Such tales, though unverifiable, highlight the lasting shadows
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these violent episodes left on the prison.
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And more on that later. By 1933, inspectors and
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journalists were noting that Ohio State Reformatory had
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become dangerously overcrowded and unsanitary.
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Cells intended for one man now held 2 or even 3 inmates in
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double Decker and triple Decker bongs.
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Disease spread easily in the Thai quarters and inmates idled
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under lockdown for long hours due to staffing shortages,
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breeding frustration and conflict.
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The lofty reform ideals of the early 1900s were now giving way
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to the brutal realities of an overfilled penitentiary.
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Yet even as OS Rs conditions worsened, a reform minded
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administration tried to maintain some humanity.
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From 1935 to 1959 was Arthur Lewis Glacke, a former Mansfield
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police officer and a politically connected appointee who
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surprisingly proved both principled and progressive.
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Wardenglack. He was widely respected by staff
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and prisoners. He introduced small quality of
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life improvements. Famously, he installed a system
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to pipe and music so that radio tunes would echo down the cell
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blocks, easing the oppressive silence.
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Glacke's 10 years stabilized the institution for a time, but even
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he could not prevent the next wave of bloodshed that arrived
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in the late 1940s. On a warm July night in 1948,
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two recently paroled OSR inmates unleashed one of the most
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shocking crime sprees in Ohio history.
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Robert Daniels, age 24, and John West, age 23, admit his
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cellmates at the reformatory upon release, instead of going
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straight, they teamed up and armed themselves, later telling
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police that they felt abused by the prison and wanted revenge.
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On July 10th, 1948, Daniels and Wes robbed and murdered a Tavern
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owner in Columbus, then killed an elderly man the next day at a
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tourist camp. Flush with stolen guns and a
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getaway car pair then set their sights on Mansfield.
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In Daniel's own words, they drove to the Ohio State
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Reformatory, intending to target a specific guard, one who had
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mistreated them, a man they called Red Harris.
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Failing to find Harris, the vengeful ex prisoners turned
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their attention to another OSR employee, 50 year old John
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Neeble, the farm Superintendent who lived with his family on the
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Reformatory's Honor Farm just outside the main compound.
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In the early hours of July 21st, 1948, Weston Daniels knocked on
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the door of the Neeble farmhouse under the pretense of car
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trouble. When Superintendent Neeble
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answered, they pushed inside at gunpoint.
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They gathered Neeble's wife Nalana and a 20 year old
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daughter, Phyllis, them upstairs and forced the terrified family
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into the criminal's car as they drove the hostages out of town.
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Daniels cruelly ordered the family to strip off all of their
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clothes and throw them out the car windows, an act meant to
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degrade and prevent escape. Finally on a secluded country
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Rd. by a cornfield on Fleming Falls Rd. the car stopped.
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In the pre dawn darkness Daniels marched John Nolana and Phyllis
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Neeble out into the high corn. He lined the parents and
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daughter up side by side and one by one shot each of them in the
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head with a stolen Mauser pistol.
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The cold blooded execution of the Neeble family sent shock
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waves through Ohio. The Mad Dog Killers, as the
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press soon dubbed Weston Daniels, fled the scene and
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continued their rampage. They hijacked a truck carrying
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new cars, murdering 2 more men in the process, A farmer in
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Tiffin and a truck driver from Michigan who refused to hand
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over his keys. A massive manhunt spanned the
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state, one of the largest in Ohio's history, and less than
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two weeks after the first murder, on July 23rd, the
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fugitives were spotted at a roadblock near Van Wert.
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In a final shootout, John West was killed by police gunfire and
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Robert Daniels was captured alive.
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The reign of terror lasted 13 days and left 7 victims dead,
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including OSR staff member John Neeble and his family.
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Daniel showed no remorse. He was tried, convicted, and in
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January 1949 he sat in Ohio's electric chair to pay with his
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own life. The horrific Neeble family
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murders cast a long shadow over the Mansfield Reformatory.
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Inside the prison, inmates whispered that the place was
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cursed. Administrators tightened
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security on the Honor Farm and reconsidered parolee policy.
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The very next year brought another tragedy within OS Rs
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walls, this one an eerie incident.
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On November 5th, 1950, Warden Glackey's wife Helen was
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upstairs in the Warden's private apartment, which was part of the
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administration wing, getting ready for church.
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She opened a closet to retrieve her jewelry box, not realizing a
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loaded revolver was hidden on the shelf.
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As Helen moved the box, the 32 caliber pistols slipped out and
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hit the floor, discharging a bullet.
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The shot struck Helen in the chest.
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Hearing the bang, Warden Arthur Glacke rushed to find his wife
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collapsed and bleeding on the bedroom floor.
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The prison doctor was summoned and Helen was erased to
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Mansfield General Hospital. She never regained
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consciousness. In the early hours of Tuesday,
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November 7th of 1950, Helen Bauer Glacke succumbed to her
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wound at age 54. Her death was ruled an accident.
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The bullet had pierced her left lung, leading to pneumonia.
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Nevertheless, dark rumors swirled among inmates at the
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warden's quarters was haunted by grief.
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Arthur Glacke carried on his warden for 9 more years
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following this event, but colleagues noted that he was
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never quite the same after losing Helen.
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On February 10th, 1959, Glaki himself died suddenly at the age
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of 62 of a massive heart attack in his office at the
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Reformatory. After nearly 25 years at the
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helm, the reformer warden's era was over, and with it, the last
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vestiges of the old idealism seemed to fade.
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To this day, some visitors claim Warden Glacke and his beloved
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Helen never really left OSR. People touring the
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administration wing often report unexplained cold drafts or
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electronic devices inexplicably malfunctioning in the old living
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quarters. In a bathroom with pink tiles,
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Helen's favorite color, visitors and guides have smelled the
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strong scent of floral perfume where no source exists.
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Several have even glimpsed the figure of a woman in that area
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or in the former library, a lady in early 20th century dress who
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vanishes when approached. These experiences are attributed
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to Helen Glacke's ghost, lingering lovingly in the home
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where she unfortunately met her tragic end.
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Such tales, of course, again are unverified, but they persist as
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a part of the prison's lore. By the mid 1950's, the Ohio
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State Reformatory had earned A reputation for harsh and
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inhumane living conditions. The population pressures
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continued to mount and in 1955, a prisoner in OS Rs E Bloc,
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despairing of his fate, took his own life in his cell via
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hanging, one of many events to occur over the years.
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A few years later, another inmate committed a horrifying
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act of self destruction. He doused himself in turpentine,
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likely stolen from the prison paint shop, and set himself on
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fire, dying in agony. Such incidents underscored the
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mental breakdown and hopelessness afflicting many
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incarcerated men men In 1957, violence exploded in a way that
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revealed just how extreme the conditions had become.
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A prison riot erupted. The counts vary on the cause,
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but the result was a large number of rebellious inmates
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being rounded up for discipline. In response, OS Rs officials
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decided to make an example of the troublemakers.
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Approximately 120 prisoners were crammed into The Hole, the tiny
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solitary confinement dungeon, for 30 days.
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This area had only 20 solitary cells, each intended for one man
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in total darkness, with 120 men to punish, guards jammed 6
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inmates per cell on average, a dank, pitch dark place of
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confinement where the men slept on bare concrete floors.
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They were denied light, adequate food or sanitation, and many of
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these prisoners began to lose their sanity after weeks in
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isolation. According to later rumors, at
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least one inmate was murdered by his cell mates in the hole
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during that hellish month, his body allegedly hidden under
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bedding for days before guards discovered the crime.
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Whether or not that murder truly occurred, the 1957 solitary
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punishment was very real, and it exemplified the brutality that
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had seeped into the reformatory's operations.
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Each veteran's staff began to agree that OSR had become a
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nightmare. Official reports in the early
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1960s documented peeling paint, rampant mildew, and vermin
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infestations. Overcrowding was so bad that at
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times single inmate cells held up to six men at a time.
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During disciplinary crackdowns, a culture of violence pervaded
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the cell blocks. Inmates fashioned Shanks and
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fought each other. Gangs preyed on the weak.
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Beatings and even rapes were not uncommon.
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One inmate, as legend holds, was so terrified of his predatory
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cellmate that he waited until the man slept and then slipped A
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noose around his neck, strangling him to death in the
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night. Another time, two men entered A
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solitary cell, but only one came out alive.
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The survivor had killed and then stuffed the other's corpse under
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the bunk. These are the kinds of gruesome
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tales that haunted OS Rs reputation.
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Life in the reformatory could be agony filled with hate,
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violence, and insanity, and many who died there carried those
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dark emotions to the grave. The 1960s brought a shift in
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state policy that sealed OS Rs fate.
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In the early 60s, Ohio withdrew support from the reformatory
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model of indeterminate sentencing and education.
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The idea of gentle rehabilitation had fallen out of
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political favor amid a nationwide spike in crime.
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Instead, Ohio State Reformatory was formally converted into a
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full maximum security prison, a function it was never fully
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intended for. As one account notes bluntly, by
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1969 OSR was housing inmates convicted of first and second
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degree murder, lifers with no chance of parole.
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The tender young first timers of 1896 were long gone and in their
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place were career criminals and the most dangerous offenders in
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the state. With minimal funding for
25:56
upgrades, the RT aging facility slid further into disrepair
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while trying to confine a more violent population.
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Fires broke out, guards were killed, and men took their own
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lives as a result of the conditions.
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One of those fires may have been a 1968 blaze that damaged a wing
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of the reformatory. The details are scarce.
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Each year, more inmates attempted to escape or riot.
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In 1971 alone, there were dozens of assaults on staff and several
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jailbreak attempts. It was as if the Grandstone
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Prison itself was rebelling against its purpose.
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This castle, built to uplift souls, had become a cauldron of
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despair. By the 1970s, public outrage
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over prison conditions were growing louder.
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The final push came from outside advocates.
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The Counsel for Human Dignity, a coalition of civic and religious
27:04
groups, took up the inmates cause and with the help of some
27:08
former prisoners, they filed a federal class action lawsuit in
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1978 on behalf of the 2200 men confined in Ohio State
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Reformatory. The suit alleged that being
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packed into brutalizing and inhumane conditions at OSR
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violated the prisoners constitutional rights.
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After years winding through the courts, the case Boyd versus
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Denton was ultimately settled in the inmates favor.
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In 1983, U.S. District Judge Frank Batisti
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approved a consent decree ordering that the antiquated
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reformatory be closed. The state was given a deadline
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of December 31st, 1986 to shut OS RS's doors for good, by which
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time a new modern prison would be built to replace it.
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The end of the Ohio State Reformatory was now on the
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horizon. Despite the court order,
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bureaucratic delays and construction problems slowed the
28:11
opening of the replacement prison, the Mansfield
28:14
Correctional Institution or Mansi.
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Thus, the old reformatory remained in operation past the
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1986 deadline, forcing Judge Batista to extend the closure
28:27
date. For the inmates and guards who
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had endured a few extra years in OSR, it was a bitter extension
28:34
of misery. Finally, in the summer of 1990,
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the last prisoners were moved out.
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On December 31st, 1990, the Ohio State Reformatory officially
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closed its doors as a state prison.
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After 94 years of continuous use, the Intermediate
28:54
Penitentiary was no more. In total, over 150,000 inmates
29:01
had done time at OSR during its existence.
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More than 200 men died within its walls from illness, murder
29:09
or self harm. The empty cell blocks were left
29:13
silent, save for the scurrying of rodents and the occasional
29:18
trespasser. For several years, the massive
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Victorian prison sat abandoned and decaying.
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Nature and vandalism began to take their toll.
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Paint peeled, plaster fell and windows broke.
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The state of Ohio, which still owned the property, saw the old
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prison as a liability. In 1993, a film crew arrived in
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Mansfield with an entirely different vision for the site.
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Director Frank Darabont had chosen the defunct reformatory
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as the primary filming location for the movie Shawshank
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Redemption, a prison drama set in the 1940s.
30:00
For three months in the summer of 1993, Hollywood lights and
30:03
cameras brought life back to OS Rs dark halls.
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Once finished, the movie was released in 1994, became a
30:12
beloved classic and put the Mansfield Reformatory on the
30:15
cultural map for millions who marveled at the Gothic
30:19
architecture on film. Almost immediately after
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Shawshank finished filming, the state proceeded with demolishing
30:26
parts of the old complex in 1994 to 95.
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All the outbuildings, the mess hall, hospital, workshops and
30:37
the enormous concrete perimeter wall were all torn down.
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The land was needed for the adjacent new correctional
30:44
institution next door. It seemed likely that the iconic
30:47
main structure of OSR might be slated for the Wrecking Ball as
30:51
well. But a group of local
30:53
preservationists and history enthusiasts sprang into action.
30:57
They formed the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society
31:01
or MRPS, in 1995 and convinced the state to sell some of the
31:06
historic prison for the token price of $1.00.
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Thanks to the grassroots effort, the grand old building with its
31:15
six tier cell blocks, Chapel and administration offices was saved
31:20
from demolition at the 11th hour.
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The reformatory had been added to the National Register of
31:26
Historic Places in 1983. This was while it was still
31:31
operating, which helped under score its historical
31:34
significance. And now, under MRPS stewardship,
31:40
plans began to stabilize to restore the crumbling facility.
31:45
In the late 1990s, volunteers and contractors labored to clean
31:50
out debris and make the reformatory safe for visitors.
31:54
They patched roofs, removed asbestos, and rebuilt damaged
31:57
sections. The Warden's residence was fully
32:00
restored to its 1950s appearance, and the central
32:04
Guard room between the east and West cell blocks was refurbished
32:09
to its former grandeur. By the early 2000's, the
32:13
Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society had
32:16
officially opened the site for guided tours.
32:20
What began as small local history tours soon blossomed
32:24
into a major tourist attraction. Today, more than 120,000 people
32:30
visit annually, exploring the 250,000 square feet of prison
32:35
space, from the rusting cell tiers to the very spooky
32:40
basement. The Reformatory houses multiple
32:43
museums under its roof as well, filled with all sorts of
32:47
artifacts from Ohio's prisons, as well as a Shawshank
32:50
Redemption museum displaying props and set pieces from the
32:54
movie. Meanwhile, the dramatic ambiance
32:58
of OSR continued to draw film makers and even musicians.
33:03
Even before Shawshank 2, Hollywood productions had shot
33:06
scenes at the actor prison. Harry and Walter go to New York
33:11
in 1975 in the Kurt Russell Sylvester Stallone action movie
33:16
Tango and Cash in 1989. Both use the Reformatory as a
33:21
backdrop while it was still an operating prison.
33:26
After Shawshank made the site famous, more productions
33:29
followed. Harrison Ford's Air Force One in
33:32
1997 filmed its opening Russian prison break sequence at OSR in
33:37
1996. Music artists also found
33:40
inspiration there. Rock band Godsmack shot their
33:44
video for their song Awake and the Dark Cell Blocks in 2000.
33:48
Rapper Lil Wayne filmed parts of his Go DJ video inside the
33:53
prison stone corridors. Through the tourism and
33:56
Hollywood interest, the once moldering prison had thus found
34:01
a new life as a vibrant museum and cultural venue.
34:05
However, the echoes of the past were just around the corner.
34:10
A place as old and blood stained as the Ohio State Reformatory
34:15
naturally attracts ghost stories.
34:17
With over 100 years of anguish and death concentrated in one
34:22
structure, OSR has earned A reputation as one of America's
34:27
most haunted sites. Even during the prison's
34:30
operation, rumors circulated among the inmates of something
34:34
otherworldly lurking in the cell blocks.
34:38
Prisoners reported being woken up at night by unseen hands
34:42
grabbing at them in the dark, or by the clanking of phantom
34:47
chains and keys. When the guards on duty were
34:49
stationary, men would whisper about strange moaning sounds and
34:54
empty cells and corridors. Some were so frightened they
34:58
barely slept. As one Modern article wrote,
35:03
complaints were recorded of invisible hands, along with
35:06
unsettling noises keeping them awake.
35:09
And in those days, guards too, occasionally admitted to feeling
35:13
that they weren't alone on the tears.
35:16
During late night watches, these accounts were usually kept
35:20
quiet. Hardened convicts and stoic
35:23
officers rarely wanted to admit fear, but they laid the
35:27
groundwork for OS Rs ghostly lore.
35:31
After the prison closed and tour guides began leading nightly
35:35
ghost hunts, the trickle of stories became a flood.
35:39
Paranormal investigators flocked to Mansfield to test their
35:43
courage in the infamous cell blocks and solitary cells.
35:48
The reformatory has since been featured on countless ghost
35:51
hunting TV shows. Ghost Adventures, SCI Fi's,
35:55
Ghost Hunters, and many, many others have all filmed episodes
36:00
inside OSR. These investigators and
36:03
thousands of amateur visitors consistently report similarly
36:07
eerie phenomena. Common experiences include
36:11
disembodied footsteps echoing down cell ranges that are
36:15
completely empty, sudden pockets of frigid air on hot summer
36:20
days, and shadowy human figures fleeting at the edges of 1's
36:27
vision. Audible voices are frequently
36:29
captured on recorders, sometimes faint whispers, and other times
36:35
blood curdling screams or growls that have no logical source.
36:42
Many people claim to have been touched or even shoved by
36:45
invisible forces. Tour guides have reported being
36:49
poked, having their hair pulled, or even feeling a hand over
36:54
their shoulder when no one was near.
36:58
On at least one occasion, A visitor was seemingly pushed on
37:02
a catwalk, as if some restless soul relished a bit of cruelty.
37:08
Flashlights and cameras are known to malfunction
37:10
mysteriously, especially in the hotspots like the infirmatory
37:16
and solitary cells. Certain areas of the prison have
37:20
developed their own ghostly reputations.
37:23
The administrative wing, where Warden Glacke's quarters were,
37:27
is one such hotspot, not only due to Helen's alleged presence
37:32
with her flowery perfume, but also because people sense the
37:36
warden himself. Some nights a figure in a suit
37:41
has been seen peering out of Arthur Glacke's old office
37:45
window, only to vanish when approached.
37:49
The prison hospital on the 3rd floor is another epicenter.
37:53
Here, hundreds died over the decades from tuberculosis,
37:58
influenza and neglect, as well as injuries.
38:03
Visitors often see flickering shapes or moving shadows in the
38:07
informatory doorways, and many feel an oppressive sadness or
38:12
nausea in the former sick ward. Electronic equipment frequently
38:17
goes haywire in the Infirmary, as if the spirits of feverish
38:22
inmates still linger or they had drawn their last breaths.
38:27
Directly above the infirmatory sits the old Chapel, and despite
38:31
being a place of worship, the Chapel now has an unsettling
38:35
aura. Both guides and guests have
38:38
witnessed A mysterious man who peeks out from behind doors in
38:43
the Chapel balcony and quickly ducks away.
38:47
At first they assume it's a living person playing a prank,
38:52
yet when they investigate, the balcony is empty.
38:56
This playful apparition in the Chapel remains unidentified, but
39:01
is seen so often that some staff have nicknamed him the Creeper.
39:07
Down in the cell blocks, nearly every corner has a story.
39:12
Cell 13 on the 4th tier, to pick one example, is feared for an
39:16
inexplicable sense of dread that develops in anyone who steps
39:21
inside. The most dreaded location of
39:24
all, however, is the whole the solitary confinement dungeon
39:30
located in the basement. Here, in near total darkness,
39:35
countless inmates suffered and some perished.
39:39
The Hole is widely cited as the most sinister location in the
39:42
old person, a place saturated with negative energy.
39:48
Visitors today report instant goosebumps and nausea upon
39:52
descending into the Hole's corridor.
39:55
Many refused to go inside the tiny cells at all.
39:58
Those who do often regret it. People have emerged pale and
40:03
shaking, claiming that they felt something in there with them.
40:09
Investigators have recorded disturbing cries and pleas on
40:12
their audio equipment in the hole, and no one else was
40:15
present. Others have heard distinct
40:18
footsteps tapping on the concrete behind them, though no
40:22
figure was visible. A few particularly brave or
40:27
foolhardy individuals have even attempted to spend the night
40:30
alone in the whole cells. During overnight ghost hunts,
40:35
they usually don't last too long before fleeing.
40:38
As one author vividly put it, 1 does not need any psychic
40:42
abilities to feel the intense energies of this area.
40:46
The history that has been imprinted on the stone walls of
40:49
the whole seems to be making its presence known to anyone who
40:53
dares venture there. Whether these sensations are
40:56
purely psychological or truly paranormal, they are powerful
41:01
and consistent. Not all of OS Rs ghostly lore is
41:06
so ominous, however. There are also tales of a
41:09
forlorn, boyish spirit in the basement, thought to be an
41:12
adolescent inmate who was beaten to death in a long ago torture
41:17
session. People occasionally see a
41:19
fleeting figure of a man in tattered 1930s style prison garb
41:24
wandering the dim service tunnels.
41:27
If addressed, he reportedly vanishes or runs off into the
41:31
shadows. In one anecdote, a guide sitting
41:35
alone in an empty cellblock heard the distant chiming of
41:38
church bells, a peculiar sound inside of a stone prison.
41:43
Moments later, he smelled the distinct odor of a campfire,
41:48
even though nothing was burning. A visiting investigator
41:52
interpreted these as ghostly traces of the 1930 Ohio
41:57
penitentiary fire victims, he said.
42:00
You know how your clothes smell after sitting around a campfire?
42:04
If inmates came here from the fire with their clothes all
42:08
smoky, I believe that's what it is.
42:11
Indeed, many of the paranormal happenings seem to be tied to
42:14
specific historical events. The growls and malevolent
42:18
feelings in the whole echo the cruelty of the 1957 riot
42:23
punishment. The apparition of a guard in the
42:26
corridor evokes the fallen officer Hanger from 1932.
42:32
The faint smell of gunpowder and a woman's weeping heard in the
42:36
administration area recalls Helen Glatke's tragic shooting.
42:41
In this way, the Ohio State Reformatory's violent and
42:45
painful events of their individual pasts appear to
42:49
replay themselves in uncanny ways, imprinting the environment
42:55
with residual hauntings. Despite countless
42:58
investigations, none of these paranormal claims can be proven
43:03
with certainty. No ghost has ever been
43:06
definitively recorded at OSR, and skeptics suggest that
43:10
natural explanations such as echoes, drafts, and imagination
43:16
underlie many experiences. The reformatory staff are
43:20
careful to distinguish legend from fact.
43:24
The documented history of OSR is tragic enough on its own,
43:27
without embellishment. Yet even pragmatic tour guides
43:31
have been known to admit that this place held a lot of
43:35
violence and a lot of suffering. And if anywhere might be
43:39
haunted, perhaps it's here. Haley Statham Kitzler, A
43:45
historian who works at the prison, candidly calls OSR the
43:50
most haunted place in America. If it's not the most, it's up
43:54
there for sure. She recounts how, while sitting
43:58
alone in the empty administrative wing, she
44:01
distinctly heard footsteps ascending the stairs to the
44:04
guard room when no one else was there.
44:09
Greg Fettukic, A seasoned paranormal investigator, attests
44:13
that Ohio State Reformatory is one of the eeriest places to be
44:18
skeptic. Before he came, he said that I'd
44:22
never seen an apparition or shadow person before until one
44:26
night I was sitting right there in OSR.
44:30
He watched in disbelief as a shadowy figure climbed to prison
44:34
stairwell, turned and walked down a hallway before fading
44:40
away. As he sat astonished, he then
44:44
heard a deep growl emanate from a nearby room.
44:48
This was then followed by the inexplicable sound of distant
44:51
church bells ringing inside the cell block.
44:55
Moments like these have convinced many investigators
44:58
that some of OS Rs former residents may indeed linger in
45:03
spiritual form. Of course, such claims remain
45:07
claims. The ghosts of Ohio State
45:10
Reformatory or anywhere, cannot be booked for an interview or
45:14
truly definitively measured, but they live in an abundant
45:19
anecdotes and in the popular imagination, and potentially in
45:24
our reality. For visitors, the line between
45:28
history and legend at Mansfield is part of the thrill.
45:32
One can stand in the very cornfield where the Neeble
45:35
family meant their end, then later stand in the dim cell
45:39
where an unknown prisoner scratched his name into the
45:42
brick. The MRPS has embraced this dual
45:45
identity of the site. It is at once a sobering
45:49
historic landmark and a celebrated paranormal
45:53
destination. By day one can tour the prison
45:57
as a historian or film fan, and by night 1 can prowl the Cellars
46:03
with an EMF meter hunting for spectres.
46:07
Both experiences speak of the reformatory's unique allure.
46:12
The Saga of the Ohio State Reformatory is a classic
46:16
American tale of rise, fall and rebirth.
46:21
It began with 19th century optimism, a palace like prison
46:26
meant to reform wayward men. It witnessed nearly a century of
46:31
triumphs and horrors, the hopeful beginnings, the dark
46:36
turning point in the 1930's, the bloodshed of mid century and the
46:42
decay and brutality that ultimately shut it down, and its
46:47
abandonment that narrowly escaped destruction, only to be
46:51
saved by those who value its story.
46:54
Now it stands preserved, A hulking limestone monument to
46:59
the past. Within its echoing cell blocks
47:03
one can still feel the weight of lives that have passed through
47:06
it. The 16 year old first offender
47:09
trembling on intake. The cynical career criminal
47:12
plotting escape. The guard making his final round
47:17
one fateful night, The warden cradling his dying wife.
47:23
The prisoners cheering a moment of freedom as they left this
47:28
place forever. All these moments are frozen in
47:32
the reformatory stones. Perhaps This is why the legend
47:36
holds that not all things have moved on.
47:40
Today, a visitor to Mansfield can walk the same cells where
47:44
blood was once spilled, then perhaps feel a cold touch on
47:48
their shoulder that makes them wonder.
47:51
You can admire the beautiful stone Chapel where convicts once
47:55
sang hymns, and you might catch a glimpse of a phantom figure
48:00
watching you from the balcony. The Ohio State Reformatory
48:05
leaves it up to each guest to decide what is real.
48:09
As you exit through the metal doors and into the Ohio
48:12
sunshine, one thing is certain, The presence of the past is
48:17
palpable here. The grand old prison on
48:21
Reformatory Road stands as both a historical time capsule and,
48:26
as many believe, a spiritual lock up where no soul is getting
48:31
out. Its story continues to captivate
48:36
a chronicle of darkness and redemption written in brick,
48:40
iron, and perhaps an echoes from beyond the grave.
48:48
Thank you guys so very much for watching this latest video.
48:51
I did want to quickly mention that there is a theory
48:54
surrounding limestone and that it tends to capture and store
48:58
energy, allowing for residual or imprint hauntings to more
49:03
frequently occur in its presence.
49:06
This one was a blend of history and mystery, and I hope you
49:10
liked it. If you did, please like the
49:13
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50:06
ANYWAYS, that's all I've got for now.
50:07
Guys, this has been Cody here at Mystery Archives.
50:11
Stay safe out there, don't go to prison physically or
50:16
spiritually, and I'll see you next time.
50:20
Until then, watch one of my other videos popping up now, or
50:25
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