Rumor Has It the Ohio State Reformatory Is One of the Most Haunted Places in the US

When I was six years old, I had my first ghost encounter. Ironically, this happened at my church.

My mom was very active in our church and this meant many evenings tagging along while she worked on various committees and projects. I loved wandering the halls when it was so quiet, sneaking into offices and wandering down the pews in the pulpit and choir loft. It felt like my very own secret playground.

That is, until the night I encountered what I later learned to be the church ghost.

I was in a hallway bathroom -- a small space with two stalls and an adjoining room where choir members often changed. I had just sat down when the toilet next to me flushed. There was no one else there, so I bravely said Hello?

After a pregnant pause, the toilet flushed again. I've never hightailed it out of a place as quickly as I did on that fateful evening. I ran into the room where my mom was; she was with a fellow church member prepping for the fall rummage sale. When I explained what had happened, that fellow church member replied, "Oh, yes, that's the church ghost. She's friendly."

She went on to explain that, a hundred years ago when the church had just been built along what was then a one-lane road, there was a head-on collision between two cars. The driver of the first car died instantly, as did the driver of the other car -- but he wasn't alone. His wife was also in the car, gravely injured but able to crawl out of the vehicle and make her way into the church pulpit, where she peacefully passed away.

Today, explained my mom's friend, the ghost roamed the halls of our church but was friendly; she often played with lights and, yes, plumbing, gently reminding folks that she was there.

She may have been friendly, but that was the last time I roamed the halls of my church alone. I never went to the bathroom alone, either... the idea of a paranormal presence really freaked me out. This experience has stuck with me over the years, keeping me far, far away from anywhere even remotely haunted. Like, say, the Ohio State Reformatory.

Whether you live in Ohio or not, you're probably familiar with the Ohio State Reformatory. Not only did this former reformatory play a key role in "The Shawshank Redemption," but it's also considered to be one of the most haunted places in the U.S.

Welcome to Only In Your State’s newest series, Rumor Has It, where we celebrate the local rumors – fact and fiction – that make America unique.

Also known as the Mansfield Reformatory or simply the Ohio Reformatory, the Ohio State Reformatory opened in 1886 and is nearly 130 years old.

This prison closed in 1990 and during its 100+ year tenure, 154,000 inmates called it home. The reformatory is home to the world’s tallest freestanding steel cell block: six tiers, 12 ranges, and 600 cells. A reformatory cell would have contained a desk, a stool, two footlockers, and two bunk beds, ephemera that can be viewed during a tour.

Cells in the West Cell Block are slightly larger than cells in the East Cell Block; both eventually housed two inmates each due to overcrowding. The space feels very tight; it's nearly impossible to imagine thousands of folks calling this place "home" at any given time.

The reformatory was especially overcrowded in the 1920s during Prohibition and space became even more crowded during the Great Depression. The highest committed crimes of inmates at the reformatory during this time period were robbery, burglary, larceny, and car theft. The average annual population in 1934 was 3,500 men and was built to house a maximum of 2,000.

Fitting so many men in a single area inevitably led to problems.The most infamous tale of the prison involves "the hole," a small cell wherein prisoners were held for three days as punishment. Several sources have reported that at one time, there were two inmates held in "the hole" – and by the end of the three days, one did not make it out alive.

Given its history, it's no surprise that filmmakers chose the former prison as the setting for "The Shawshank Redemption." Today, film fans can explore the reformatory on a tour – guide-led or self-guided – and visit the official Shawshank Museum. The museum has five rooms of props, costumes, set pieces, and other film relics: the safe in Warden Norton’s office, Red’s Parole Board room, Andy’s escape tunnels, and more.

Wandering through the halls and peeking into the cells was an unsettling experience I wasn't prepared for. As with all of the adventures we share on Only In Your State, the experience is the why.

We can describe a beautiful canyon or historic site, but there's only so much words and photos can convey. The feeling – that deep-in-your-bones, hair-raising unease – of a place like the Ohio State Reformatory; it's an experience.

Let this be your sign to go out and have your own Ohio State Reformatory experience.