Haunted History: The Ohio State Reformatory (Shawshank Prison)

The Ohio State Reformatory, located in Mansfield Ohio, opened its doors to its first inmates in 1896. It was intended to be an intermediate penitentiary where young, first-time, non-violent offenders could be counselled and reformed. The goal was to rehabilitate them so that once they were released, they would not return to a life of crime. Boys as young as 13 years of age were admitted. It differed from the prison system by the nature that punishment was not the focus. In fact, inmates spent most of their time outside of their cells and typically would only be behind bars during sleeping hours. During most of their sentence, they would be involved in gym activities, technical and trade schooling, counselling, and regular chapel services.

The intimidating design of the building was inspired by the intent to put a sense of dread into the young criminals who approached for their confinement. It is a combination of Queen Anne, Victorian Gothic, and Richardson Romanesque architecture styles.

At a massive 250,000 square feet, it has 6 tiers of cells. For comparison, most prisons have 3 or 4. It holds the Guinness book record as having the tallest free-standing steel cell block in the world.

In pop culture, the reformatory is most famous as being known as “Shawshank Prison” as it was the primary filming site for the movie The Shawshank Redemption, and it still houses some props from the film.

In its beginnings, it seemed to be successful in its intended purpose. Sadly, a series of tragic events would quickly lead to its deterioration as a reformatory. In 1930, there was a fire at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. Having nowhere else to house the prisoners who were incarcerated there, they moved them to the Reformatory which was built to house 1,000 inmates at a time but ended up housing 3,000 at its height. Young boys who’d had minor violations were forced into being housed with hardened, dangerous, criminals with records of violence and even murder. The cells, 8×5 feet wide, were designed to hold 2 people, but were crowded into containing 4. Keep in mind, some of these individuals were very large men! The inmates were also now forced to spend 23 hours a day in their cells.

The overcrowding led to deplorable conditions. Giant rats and cockroaches started to overrun the prison as they made their way through the drain system and into the cells of the inmates. The inmates started shoving anything that they could get a hold of into the toilets to attempt to prevent them from getting in, and in their ears and noses to try to stop the roaches from crawling into their orifices. There was no heating system and the building would reach bitter cold temperatures in the winter. To the point that frost would form on the walls and floors and the toilet water would freeze. The showers were referred to as the car wash. Essentially, the imprisoned would strip down and form a line, walking a trail of water sprayers, and scrubbing their bodies as they walked, as there was no time or space to allow for proper showers.

By 1970 it was considered a high-security prison that experienced multiple riots, brutal inmate-on-inmate (and inmate-on-guard) violence, murders, and suicides. At one point, the inmates were lighting fires so regularly, that the warden said to let them burn it-“they can put it out themselves or burn”. At least 215 inmates and 2 guards died there throughout its time as a prison.

One of the most horrific events that occurred here was the death of James Lockart. James was a 22-year-old who received a sentence of 15 years. When he reached his first parole hearing, his parole was denied. He was so adverse to spending any more time there, that he actually set himself on fire inside of his cell and burned to death. Fellow inmates divulged that they would never be able to get his screams and the smell of his burning flesh out of their minds. His skin was melted to the prison floor and had to be scraped away.

Another man, 18-year-old Larry Harmer, only got a 1 to 5-year sentence but killed himself by hanging from a bed sheet. Inmates were known to go into cells together with only one coming back out, the other found murdered and stuffed under the bed. One feud between two inmates ended in the barber’s chair when an inmate slit the other’s throat with a straight razor.

In total, there were an estimated 278 inmate-on-inmate killings within the facility. Most who died there were buried in a cemetery behind the prison and labelled not with their name but by the number assigned to them at the time of their incarceration.

The series of tragic deaths that occurred here even involved employees of the reformatory. In 1932 Frank Hanger, a guard working in solitary confinement, was murdered by inmates when they hit him over the head with an iron bar. Helen Glattke, the wife of the warden Art Glattke, met an accidental death in 1950 in the closet of their living quarters. While getting ready for church, she reached up to get something from the shelf of the closet when her husband’s handgun fell from the shelf and discharged, shooting her in the chest. Then, in 1959, Art died in his office after suffering a heart attack.

Its days as a prison ultimately ended after prisoners sued and won the lawsuit under the ruling of inhumane living conditions. The last inmates left the building on December 31, 1990.

Paranormal accounts from this massive location include shadow figures walking the halls or peeking out from the cells, disembodied voices, orbs of light, the sound of keys rattling (perhaps the murdered guard Frank Hanger?), and visitors to the building who are pushed or scratched. The smell of Helen’s rose-scented perfume and Art’s cherry pipe tobacco can sometimes be detected in the warden’s living quarters.

Though no one was ever executed inside of the Reformatory, the reformatory does house the electric chair known as “Old Sparky” that once resided at The Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus. 315 men were executed in that chair, including the inmates who killed the guard Frank Hanger. It is believed that the chair has the souls of some of these men still attached to it, adding to the building’s haunted activity.

Though the entire building seems to be a hotbed for the paranormal, some of the most active locations include:

The West Attic

When the Ohio State Penn burned down in 1930, the West Attic was where they housed its most dangerous, violent criminals and murderers. Approximately 300 inmates were placed into the room, without beds, without anything to separate them, and with only one guard. As such, some of the most violent inmate-on-inmate brutality occurred there and some men never emerged from the attic, losing their lives to murder. Paranormal accounts in this area of the prison include shadow figures and unexplained balls of light. An energy here is known to get aggressive at times, particularly with women, resulting in their clothes or hair being yanked.

During my tour of the building, one of the guides divulged that he does not go into the west attic and would not take us inside. But he did point the way for anyone brave enough to venture there and experience it for themselves. I, personally, spent some time in there – ALONE.

Solitary confinement

Solitary confinement, particularly the subbasement, or basement below solitary, is known to be one of the most paranormally active locations in this massive 250,00 square foot building.

The Ohio State Reformatory, during its years as a high-security prison, was renowned for its riots. After 1 riot, 120 people were crammed into 20 solitary confinement cells for 30 days with no meals or only 1 meal a day. When they were fed, it was often the most hated meal that was termed “loaf”. Loaf was basically all the leftovers from uneaten and even expired food, mixed together and cooked into a loaf. Not all inmates survived solitary- some of them murdered one another and some of them even starved to death.

Those in solitary were also subjected to a punishment called 8 and 8. They would be forced to stand for 8 hours and then lay for 8 hours, all while being chained. This was done over and over again until they were released, or until they died.

The subbasement contained an area called “the hole” which actually was a hole in the ground. And yes, inmates were put in there. Two inmates had the misfortune of being in there during a heavy rain storm. The hole filled with water and they both drowned. The subbasement also housed an area called the “hot box”. This was a big steel box next to the boilers that was kept intentionally hot, above 90 degrees, to make the men there lethargic to the point it would “take the fight out of them”.

The guard, Frank Hanger, lost his life while working in solitary confinement when multiple inmates attacked and murdered him by hitting him over the head with an iron bar.

Due to the often elevated haunted activity in solitary, particularly the subbasement, some employees of the building refuse to go there. Some paranormal accounts include unexplained sounds such as those consistent with people fighting or struggling, shadow figures, electronic voice phenomena (also known as EVPs), and disembodied voices. Some women have reported being inappropriately “groped” in areas such as their waist, back and sides, by no visible source to explain the groping.

While I personally was not groped while in solitary, I did experience some unsettling activity. This included unexplained sounds that could suggest a presence did not want me there. I obtained EVPs and intelligent communication through GhostTube. I also spent time in the subbasement. Once again, ALONE.

East cell block

This is the cell block in which James Lockhart set himself on fire. It is also where some of the most dangerous inmates were housed, including those on death row. Known as the Jungle, its motto was “Kill first and ask questions later”. One former prisoner was quoted as saying “there, you were either predator or you were prey”. It was also renowned for being the loudest area of the prison. Inmates would stay up all hours of the night, screaming their heads off and banging on the cell doors. The screams and bangs were amplified by the architecture of the building, leaving little opportunity for sleep. Shadow figures are notorious in this region of the building- peeking out from the cells or even witnessed walking the cell block.

During my time in the East Cell Block, I captured multiple EVPs, unexplained sound that sounded like someone walking towards me when no one was around, a fog coming from above me and above my head that should not have been my breath, and other unexplained noises. I also took the “East Cell Block Challenge” which entailed walking the entire 6th tier of the cell block alone, with no light source, and no camera. I did leave my EVP audio recorder rolling and captured some compelling evidence despite not having a camera in hand.

East Administration Wing

This portion of the building included the living quarters for the warden and his family. It is where both Helen and Art Glattke lost their lives during their residence. In this room, I believe I made contact with Helen. I got a lot of activity on my motion activated music box, just outside of the closet where she was shot. I also captured some chilling EVPs and received intelligent communication through GhostTube (word generator app).

The third floor has been deemed the most paranormally active part of the administration wing but it is a mystery as to why. No known deaths or crimes occurred there and no inmates were housed in that portion of the building. It was the part of the building where guests and dignitaries would stay while visiting the reformatory. The stage area often hosted bands to entertain guests during their stay, making it the social and networking center of the building. Intimidating appearing shadow figures and even crawling figures have been sighted on the third floor. During my time there, I was getting a lot of chatter through my spirit box. I got the sense that I was eavesdropping on a group of ghosts who were minding their own business and chatting away and that they weren’t actually trying to communicate with me. So I left my box unattended to see what it might record. My experience left me wondering- could there be a portal there?

The Chair Room

The final destination for my exploration of the administration wing was the chair room. This is another particularly active area of the building that doesn’t have a known explanation for why. It is interesting to note, it is one of the only rooms in the building that does not have windows. A chair, placed at the center of the room, has been said to move on its own. It’s a commonly reported occurrence that if someone moves the chair from the center of the room, they will later return to find it back at the center again. Other paranormal accounts include growling sounds and people being touched or scratched by unseen forces sources, particularly inflicted upon those that sit in the chair. Yes- of course I sat in the chair!

A link to my Haunted History Exploration of the Ohio State Reformatory is posted Below. Please also join me on YouTube in my 4 part paranormal investigation videos from the Ohio State Reformatory as I spend time in all of these very haunted locations, ALONE.

https://www.youtube.com/@glimpsingghosts