I emailed them and started a correspondence with Patti who is married to Dan. They had gotten part way to Alaska a few years previous but had to turn around due to terrible weather, flooded roads, etc. and were curious as to some of the specifics for our trip.
Around this time I read a book that mentioned the Ohio State Reformatory at Mansfield is now a museum run by a foundation. The tours seemed very interesting; probably as close as I want to get to prison, but interesting.
I emailed Patti and asked if they wanted to meet us there for the tour. This was a bit out of my comfort zone, but after exchanging emails I thought it would be fun to at least meet and they didn't live too terribly far away. We found a time that would work for both of us to meet, although it was a bit odd asking some people I had never met if they wanted to go to prison,.
After dropping the dogs off in beagle-jail, we headed north and east to Mansfield. Weather was perfect for motorcycling with cool temperatures and a mix of sun and clouds. Traffic was fairly light except right around Columbus, but even that wasn't too bad a little before noon on a workday. We hit a bit of rain south of Mansfield, but not enough to really matter.
We got the the Reformatory about an hour early since it took less time than usual with the dogs at the kennel and we made good time on the road. This allowed us to roam the grounds a bit.
The Reformatory itself is a very impressive stone structure. It was built in the late 19th century at a time when government building showed an art form bordering on pride. I think the idea of architecture as art is overused, but this building has to be considered art. Imposing art, but art.
The grounds around the prison are also very nice. Landscaped expansive lawns and an manicured entrance. I can't help but wonder what it looked like as inmates were being brought in.
As we were roaming, I couldn't help but notice a rather scary looking electric line that appeared to be attached to the chain link fence. It almost looked like some kind of half-assed electric fence attempt.
While waiting, it rained a bit so we headed to the "porch" of the Reformatory to wait and ended up chatting with a volunteer repairing floor tiles. He does tours at times on the weekends and gave lots of interesting tidbits about the facility. They definitely don't hide the fact that movies such as the Shawshank Redemption, Air Force One, and Tango and Cash were shot there (sorry Sylvester Stallone - you are still an asshole).
The Reformatory was originally built in a gentler time to rehabilitate boys and young men, but over the years, changing attitudes towards crime and different philosophies for rehabilitation transformed it into a very tough maximum security prison.
The Historic Marker sign notes the facility was considered obsolete by 1970, but kept open for another 20 years.
Apparently after the prison was closed and slated for demolition, the place was a free-for-all for local Mansfieldians. I'm sure much mayhem happened there from local youths. It was actually the movies' desire to use it as a filming location that delayed the demolition long enough to allow the foundation to preserve it and create the museum.
After Patti and Dan got there, we headed in for the tour. The tour costs $9 and is worth every bit of it. The tour starts with the living quarters for the warden and others (chaplain, etc.). This part of the tour sort of felt like the worst Real Estate Open House I've ever been on. The interior rooms showed various states of disrepair and dilapidation, but still some charm and evidence that the living quarters were quite nice.
The Victorian details are still evident throughout although crude updating of the facilities (heat, water, electric) also leave an impression.
The Chapel (below) is similar to the rest of the living quarters as to condition. One significant difference that could be seen compared to an average house or other building was how "hardened" the structure was with more use of brick and steel compared to plaster and lathe of that era.
The cell blocks are immense. It is hard to do the scale of these justice in pictures. Even walking into them it is hard to comprehend. It wasn't until I notice how small people were at the other end that I even realized how big the cell blocks are. Each block had 6 floors of 100 cells for 1200 inmates.
The cells themselves are 7' by 9' and hold two beds. Originally it was supposed to be one to a cell, but again, changing attitudes resulted in a doubling of capacity. You better be able to tolerate your cellmate.
If you didn't like your cellmate, you could end up in Solitary Confinement. A sign advised that solitary confinement could mean either 24-hour light or dark. Painful...
Yes. These are the group showers. Don't want to go to prison. 'Nuff said.
The tour ends with more administration type rooms. It is also interesting to see the older West Cell Block which is mostly brick and Masonry compared to the slightly newer East Wing which is more steel, much colder and harsher. The West Wing was actually built by inmates, it must have felt like digging one's own grave. Kiosks exist around the tour to give additional information. The videos on the kiosks are short enough to watch without loosing attention, but still interesting and informative. Many areas of the building are off limits, but the tour is still open enough that one could get hurt if one tried (i.e. this is not a nanny-state tour). This is one of the best self-guided tours I've ever been on. One of the neatest things was all the nooks and crannies that can't be fully accessed, but can still be seen. Photography is restricted in any part of the tour where windows look out over the newer and functional prison to the north.
After the tour we talked with Patti and Dan for a while before heading to The Brown Derby for an early dinner. We enjoyed a good dinner while sharing our respective motorcycle stories. It was fun to talk to people who have a similar traveling mentality when it comes to motorcycle touring. They have done a considerable amount of touring on two wheels!
After dinner we went our respective ways. We headed south to Mount Vernon, Ohio to a hotel right on the Kokosing River. Mount Vernon was having a "First Friday" festival so it took a bit of finageling through closed roads to find the hotel.
We woke up early and well rested to a very wet morning. We got up and I had a great free hotel breakfast. The staff had forgotten to plug in the waffle maker so it took longer than anticipated. A few minutes doesn't seem that long until waiting for the Golden Malted waffle iron to heat up while desperately needing a syrup saturated waffle. Time was past eating sausage patties until a waffle was made.
We finished getting ready before suiting up in our motorcycle coats and rain gear. We were out the door by 7:00. Despite a dump truck in front of us loosing a tire to a fire, it didn't take too long to get to I-71. The rain varied from light to moderate until around Dayton where it misted a bit before stopping.
We were home in a little over three hours with ample time to get the dogs and begin weekend chores.
The Mansfield Reformatory was very interesting and I'm glad I made the trip. Initial plans varied on days, but being able to see it on a Friday when there were very few people there was a good option and allowed for more ability to see everything at a desired pace. It also allowed for much better pictures without scads of unknown people in them. The icing was meeting Patti and Dan at the same time. Another great adventure, if only a mini one.
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