Ohio Reformatory

Ohio Reformatory - Ghosts

The Chapel is said to be at the centre of many of the paranormal events at the Ohio Reformatory. There have been persistent rumours that the Chapel was first an execution room, where inmates were tortured and died slow deaths while hanging from the rafters, this may account for the many reported orbs photographed and the strange recordings that have been captured in this area of the prison. Visitors have reported seeing ghosts lingering near doorways, only to vanish once their presence is detected.

The infirmary where many prisoners died miserable deaths is known to paranormal investigators to set off EMF detectors and clusters of orbs have been captured in photographs. There have also been several reports from visitors who have felt unexplained gushes of cold air pass by them.

The ghost of a 14 year old boy who was beaten to death in the basement is said to linger in the dark crumbling hallways, which twist around the dark decaying basement. Also, the spirit of a former Reformatory employee named George is said to haunt the basement halls.

The Reformatory's library and a small inmate's graveyard are believed by some to be haunted locations. Visitors have reported seeing objects move in the graveyard and equipment failure is not uncommon in the library. Psychics visiting the library have reported seeing the spirit of a young woman, possibly Helen or a nurse who was killed by one of the prisoners.

In the cell blocks prisoners told of feeling someone tucking them in at night, it was presumed to be the ghost of Helen, the spirit would move in and out of the cells, bringing a touch of comfort to the inmates with a simple tuck of a blanket.

The hole, located in the basement of the prison, was a place where prisoners who broke the rules were kept, there was space in the hole for 20 cells. Inmates would be kept in the dark, dank, roach infested cells, with one or more inmates, with little to eat and no place of comfort to sleep. Bread and water was the common meal with a lunch provided every three days. The stronger inmates would take the food from the weaker, leaving many to suffer hunger as well as other inconceivable hardships.

Many prisoners died in the hole and some believe that their tortured spirits remain, prompting reports of negative paranormal energy in this area. Visitors to this area sometimes leave after being overwhelmed with nausea. Others feel chills run through their bodies. The feeling of being watched permeates in the rooms and some have even reported seeing glowing eyes peering at them from dark corners.

The Guinness Book of World Records still lists the massive prison as the world's largest free standing steel cell block. The reformatory is now owned by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society which offers summer public ghost tours and seeks donations in order to preserve the site.

Ohio Reformatory - History
Ohio Reformatory - Deaths
Ohio Reformatory - Ghosts