Bryston3bsst
No longer a newbie, moving up!
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2015
- Messages
- 218
- Reaction score
- 125
- Location
- Florida
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos NOT OK to edit
Welcome to prison.....that was how I used to greet my tour groups. For 16 years I was a tour guide at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, OH. The property was the shooting location for Shawshank Redemption, Air Force One and Tango and Cash. The facility was finished in 1896 and it's first 150 'guests' arrived for a stay. After 94 years and 155,000 guests it was closed in 1990 and slated to be demolished.
Fortunately we were able to save it and the property was deeded to the Preservation Society in 1993.
As a volunteer I had access to the entire building and believe me it was a great place to shoot creepy pictures.
The X on the floor is formed by daylight coming through the 4 doorways on either side of the hall. The 'stalactites' on the ceiling are peeling paint.
Solitary confinement. The first door past the cage is the cell where Andy Dufresne spent two months in solitary. These cells have tile walls and floors, no windows and are cave dark when the door and access door is closed. The original design was simply with a hole in the middle of the floor to be used for necessaries. Later they installed regular flush toilets.
Coming up from the boiler room to solitary. The boiler room was a damn scarey area.
Steps leading up to the TB ward. The prison was horribly overcrowded by the time it closed. It had a total of 950 cells most built to house two men. Total population intent was about 1900. Population at time of closing was about 3000. They had healthy inmates bunking in the TB ward with the TB patients. Oh, joy.
Standing on the bridge from the east cell block to the chapel. About 150 feet down. Central guard room behind the bars on the left. This was the visiting area for inmates. The columns are solid granite. Each weighing a little less than a Kenworth.
Looking down an east cell block range.
TB ward.
I know it's been a long tour, you're probably tired, so.....have a seat.
We were supposed to get the original 'Old Sparky' from the Ohio State Penitentiary but due to a pant load of politics (imagine that) we didn't. However, we got the next best thing. This one was built using the original as blueprints. It was made by several former guards and inmates from Ohio State Pen.
Pretty cool, huh?
Fortunately we were able to save it and the property was deeded to the Preservation Society in 1993.
As a volunteer I had access to the entire building and believe me it was a great place to shoot creepy pictures.
The X on the floor is formed by daylight coming through the 4 doorways on either side of the hall. The 'stalactites' on the ceiling are peeling paint.
Solitary confinement. The first door past the cage is the cell where Andy Dufresne spent two months in solitary. These cells have tile walls and floors, no windows and are cave dark when the door and access door is closed. The original design was simply with a hole in the middle of the floor to be used for necessaries. Later they installed regular flush toilets.
Coming up from the boiler room to solitary. The boiler room was a damn scarey area.
Steps leading up to the TB ward. The prison was horribly overcrowded by the time it closed. It had a total of 950 cells most built to house two men. Total population intent was about 1900. Population at time of closing was about 3000. They had healthy inmates bunking in the TB ward with the TB patients. Oh, joy.
Standing on the bridge from the east cell block to the chapel. About 150 feet down. Central guard room behind the bars on the left. This was the visiting area for inmates. The columns are solid granite. Each weighing a little less than a Kenworth.
Looking down an east cell block range.
TB ward.
I know it's been a long tour, you're probably tired, so.....have a seat.
We were supposed to get the original 'Old Sparky' from the Ohio State Penitentiary but due to a pant load of politics (imagine that) we didn't. However, we got the next best thing. This one was built using the original as blueprints. It was made by several former guards and inmates from Ohio State Pen.
Pretty cool, huh?
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