Reformátorio Mansfield O Mais Assombrado de Ohio.

On September 17, 1896, the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield officially opened its doors. It was located in a prime location far from the city of Columbus and on the former site of Mordecai Bartley’s renowned Civil War camp. Its first residents were 150 low-risk prisoners transferred from the overcrowded Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus. Construction on the reformatory was not yet complete, and there were several gaps in the perimeter walls. So officials decided to have the new inmates help finish the construction of the 26-foot-high outer wall and its sewer system. Finally, in 1910, the reformatory was completed, standing as a symbol of hope that inmates could be rehabilitated and returned to society to lead productive and fulfilling lives. But as we will see throughout its history, that was not quite what happened.