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Historic prisons: Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield Ohio
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(c) Photo courtesy of Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society
Prisons make for great offbeat places, particular after enough time has gone by so that they begin to fall apart and look spooky and sinister.
The Ohio State Reformatory dates back to 1896 when 150 young offenders made the Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne (all in one) buildings their residence. The magnificent architecture was supposed to “inspired them to turn away from their sinful lifestyle, and toward repentance,” according to their website.
After housing 155,000 men in its lifetime, the prison doors closed for the final time on December 31, 1990.
Today the doors swing back open to a whole new population – tourists coming to tour the old buildings.
A basic tour is offered Tuesday through Friday, but their special and particularly interesting tours are only on Sunday. Closed Mondays and Saturdays.
From now until September visitors can choose from three experiences each lasting about one hour. Visitors can take more than one tour, at a reduced price for the second and third ones.
West Tower Tour: See the view from the Guard Tower after climbing up the extensive spiral staircase. Visitors view the inmate cemetery (no names, just their prison number to mark their grave). The tour also includes the underground tunnel system.
Cell Block Tour:The prison boasts the world's largest freestanding steel cell block, which is the focus of this tour, as well as a visit to the Catholic Chapel and inmate living quarters.
Hollywood Tour: Since the prison was also a movie location, this tour takes visitors to the office of the Prison Warden from Shawshank Redemption, the Parole Board Room and Andy Dufresne's escape tunnel, as well as other movie sites.
Note: All tours involve lots of stairs and climbing.
Ghost Hunt Walks:Feel intrepid? There’s also ghostly tours of sites of paranormal activity, also known as spooky stuff. These, of course, take place at night, and already sold out for 2009. Check the website or call for openings for 2010.
Halloween Tours: Late September, all of October and very early November are the special Halloween tours. These are still available for 2009. Act quickly. Go to HauntedX for more information. This is NOT for children.
Visit http://www.mrps.org/ for more information and call call (419) 522-2644 for current tour information
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