Ohio certainly has its fair share of haunted houses and ghost towns. Despite what we might like to think, the Buckeye State’s history hasn’t always been inspiring, innovative and positive. Some pieces of it are downright dark and terrifying. One such piece is housed in the Ohio State Reformatory.

Take a look at this hauntingly beautiful facility:

Formerly known as the Mansfield Reformatory, this historic prison first opened in 1886 and is nearly 130-years-old.
Rain0975/Flickr
The reformatory is home to the state's most violent ghosts. Spirits of rioting inmates who often fought each other to the death in overcrowded isolation cells are said to haunt the halls and cells of this former prison.
Tabitha Kaylee Hawk/Flickr
No one could have anticipated the dark history to follow the facility, which was not even initially intended to function as a prison.
Leann/Flickr
Getting the reformatory up and running was a fairly lengthy process. The reformatory cost approximately $1.3 million to build over the course of 10 years.
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Overtime, the reformatory officially transitioned into a high security prison—and with that transition brought more violent prisoners.
Tom Hart/Flickr

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Walking through the halls of cells, many visitors can almost feel the frustration, rage and despair of former prisoners.
Cathy/Flickr
The most infamous tale of the prison involves "the hole," a small cell in which prisoners were held for three days when they were being punished. 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.
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The facility officially closed in 1990. And despite its disturbing history, four major motion pictures were filmed at the reformatory, the most famous being the "The Shawshank Redemption" in 1993.
Rain0975/Flickr
Pictured below is Warden's office and wall safe from the filming of "The Shawshank Redemption."
Rain0975/Flickr
Today, visitors can explore the reformatory via formal tours, ghost hunts and The Haunted Prison Experience.
Rain0975/Flickr

To learn more about the Ohio State Reformatory, watch the short video below:

Although it’s not the traditional haunted house experience, this historical reformatory is certainly known for several real life hauntings and paranormal activity. The Haunted Prison Experience is featured every October, giving brave visitors an extra spooky visit . The Ohio State Reformatory is located at 100 Reformatory Rd., Mansfield, OH 44905.

If creepy places, hauntings and the dark side of Ohio’s history intrigue you, then you should check out our Ultimate Terrifying Ohio Road Trip.

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