What’s Left of the Ohio State Reformatory
If you’re anything like me, as the weather cools and the nights get longer, your mind turns to things on the spookier side of the spectrum. If you’re not anything like me, I get it. Let me suggest you check out our most awesome collection of Running Stories for inspiration. But for those of you who are still here, why don’t you grab a cup of something warm and spicy and join me. This week we’ll find out what’s left of the Ohio State Reformatory. But remember, you’ll need to leave your ghost hunting equipment behind!
Hustlin’ to Shawshank
You may wonder how we decided to visit this location. It certainly wasn’t because of it’s cosmopolitan location, deep in the heart of the corn fields of Ohio. Actually, it’s because of a Running Story. So this tale is both a haunted story AND a running story – a two-for!
We always wanted to visit the Ohio State Reformatory for four reasons:
- Because this is the prison used in the movie, The Shawshank Redemption
- They put on a run called the Shawshank Hustle every year
- It’s Stephen’s favorite movie
- And he’s always wanted to run it.
I’ll let Stephen tell you all about the run and the weekend so other time but while we’re here, let’s see what’s left of the Ohio State Reformatory!
The Intake Room
The foyer definitely has retro-chic vibe and if it weren’t for the handcuff line minders, you might think you were waiting for a teller at a bank.
The Sites Used for Filming
Through out the massive complex, many rooms were cleaned up and used for the filming of the movie. They even left these great cut outs that you could sit with for photo ops.
A Bit of Movie Magic
When people here we went to this prison for a race, we inevitably get asked if the last mile is through a sewer pipe. Well, here’s a bit of movie magic for you. The pipe they used for the filming is only about 6 feet long. Better yet, the waste matter they created was made of chocolate sauce and saw dust – which was good news for Tim Robbins. In this same area, they had the hole used for the great escape.
What’s Left of the Ohio State Reformatory
The prison was only shut down for two years by the time the production company decided to use it. But the cold and damp Ohio winters did massive damage by then. In every room, the paint and plaster was falling off the walls and the crew only had the time and budget to update a few of them for filming. I would say a good 95% of it, has been untouched and is still decaying.
After visiting the Brooks Library and the hotel room where he stayed, we walked down the hall to some empty rooms. The first was very dark. The picture on the right, was inside a closet. My iPhone lights up these dark spaces like day time.
Next to that room is mounted a sign that reads “Paranormal Activity in the West Administration Wing” in front of a room that holds one single chair.
From there, we entered a vast room that served as the prison’s chapel. Although it is severely decayed, it still seems sort of beautiful. I think having so many windows by the altar, helped quite a bit. This room was in stark contrast, however, to what came next.
The Cell Blocks
As we left behind the chapel, we also left behind the light.
The cell block was vast. I can’t even estimate the total number of people that could be housed here.
The first cell we visited was cleaned up so you could see how it looked when the prisoners were there. All the rest, were left like this.
We walked to the end of the cell block and found a spiral staircase that led to the actual prison library (as opposed to the Brooks Hatton Memorial Library). Off to side, we found the showers and what was left of a communal bathroom.
As dank and depressing as the cell block was, we took another stair case down to a place even worse – solitary confinement. Even for people who don’t believe in ghosts, this space felt…oppressive. As you can imagine, we didn’t stay down there long.
So what was left of the Ohio State Reformatory?
After our tour, I can say “a lot” of things still remain at the Ohio State Reformatory. Some of what was left behind is more felt than seen. I guess that’s why they don’t allow ghost hunting equipment on the property. All I can say is…I’m really glad we saw this place DURING THE DAY.
Thanks for joining us on the extra spooky tour. If you didn’t know, we have a whole bunch of haunted travel stories that you can check out…if you dare. (Mu-hah-hah.) And we have lots of regular travels as well. If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to us for free. You’ll get the all the latest content plus content we save just for our travel insiders. And be sure to follow us in real time on Instagram at The__Travel__Oracle. Until next time, friends!
