Iron bars and stone walls; they are still present here, but what of the humanity, if you can call it that, of the
old Ohio State Reformatory at Mansfield. What of the 154,000 inmates who passed through it’s gates in its 94
years as a working prison. Not to mention their keepers, the Guards, and the Wardens, the gravediggers, and
the rest, what of them still remain? As it happens to turn out, more than you might believe. No matter what their
crime, some sent to Mansfield may have never left. They may rest forgotten in a cheerless graveyard just
outside the fence. 215 numbered markers laid out row after row. Most of them were victims of tuberculosis,
influenza, and disease, but some died of less natural causes; From the violence, that is all to common on the
interior of any prison and was far from unknown in this one. And the worst of it happened well away from the
main cell block with their rows of cages stacked tier on tier, and inmates, one or two to a cell. There were way
too many eyes, too many witnesses here; no, the worst of it was reserved for a far lonelier place, deep beneath
the prison ground. A place called local control, or solitary, by some, known by everyone else as "the hole". Near
total isolation can crack all but the toughest of cons, but none was so alone that there wasn’t room for death. At
least one inmate managed to hang himself, another set himself on fire; once two men left too long in a single
tomb like cell, only one walked out, leaving his cellmate’s body behind, stuffed beneath a bunk. Could there be
other similar surprises? Or words left over from the days before the prison closed? Even when they are empty,
some swear something walks these halls. It is not enough for contemporary visitors not to wonder off alone
while sight seeing, what‘s become one of Mansfield’s more popular tourist attractions. But the bloodiest single
incident in the old prison’s history occurred outside it’s walls. In July of 1948, when the Reformatory’s farm boss,
his wife and daughter were kidnapped and shot to death by two parolees bent on revenge. A six-state manhunt
for the so called "mad-dog killers" ended in a shootout that left Robert Daniels of Columbus in custody and his
partner, James West dead. "I’ll get the Chair" Daniels told police as he signed the confession. And on January
3rd, 1949, he did. A year later in 1950 disaster struck again. This time, here in the living quarters of the
Warden himself. The Warden’s wife, removing a jewelry box from a closet shelf accidentally dropped a pistol
from it’s hiding place. When it hit the floor, the gun went off inflicting a fatal wound. And within the decade, even
more bad luck. The Warden, hard at work in his office, suffered a heart attack and died. All this was over forty
years ago and more, how then to explain the voices shook up tour guides swear they hear today? Man and
woman talking, too faint to understand, to persistent to ignore and chilling to listeners who believe they are
alone, only to find themselves apparently eavesdropping on the warden and his wife locked forever in an
endless conversation from beyond the grave. Arriving at the castle like prison I (Mark) was astonished at its
size. The medieval appearance of the structure, while ominous, lures one forward into it’s past. The seemingly
endless stairs, hallways and rooms covered in the darkness spoke of a very large place indeed. The paint
peeling from its ceilings and walls, the dust and paint chips layered on the mattresses and the rust forming on
exposed pipes and cell doors lent to its eerie atmosphere and the sense of absolute destitution. After the tour
(while taking EMF readings) we were interviewed by a newspaper reporter from the Intelligencer, West Virginia.
We immediately began our investigation in the west cellblock. Walking down the second floor tier our lights cut
through the pitch blackness. We took a number of EVP readings as well as EMF readings as we went through
the jail cells. During this phase of the investigation a member of the team proclaimed to have felt a touch on
her. No EMF or thermometer readings were detected out of the ordinary. We made our way down to the
solitary confinement cells ("the whole") where most of the cells where blocked by large steel doors. After
investigating these cells we went to the adjoining cells where we could not detect any readings. Like last year
many of the pictures taken showed what appeared to be an enormous amount of dust in the air while the next
frame area would be absolutely clear. This happened several times on different cameras that were of different
makes both last year as well as this year. This leads us to believe that the digital technology has a lot to do with
this. We believe that virtually all of the orbs taken were simply dust orbs. There was one picture taken by one
member in the Warden's office however using a 35mm camera that has an anomaly that we could not explain
and could not duplicate. Paranormal? Possibly, we really just do not know. Because of the events that occurred
last year that we could not explain, as well as this year (2007) we feel as if further investigating is required. We
look forward to returning to this interesting and mysterious place again sometime in the next few years. If ever
given the opportunity, one should not hesitate to experience this historical site. Members present included
Jonda Lombardo, Mike Livingston, and co-founders Donnie Shepherd and Mark Stewart.
old Ohio State Reformatory at Mansfield. What of the 154,000 inmates who passed through it’s gates in its 94
years as a working prison. Not to mention their keepers, the Guards, and the Wardens, the gravediggers, and
the rest, what of them still remain? As it happens to turn out, more than you might believe. No matter what their
crime, some sent to Mansfield may have never left. They may rest forgotten in a cheerless graveyard just
outside the fence. 215 numbered markers laid out row after row. Most of them were victims of tuberculosis,
influenza, and disease, but some died of less natural causes; From the violence, that is all to common on the
interior of any prison and was far from unknown in this one. And the worst of it happened well away from the
main cell block with their rows of cages stacked tier on tier, and inmates, one or two to a cell. There were way
too many eyes, too many witnesses here; no, the worst of it was reserved for a far lonelier place, deep beneath
the prison ground. A place called local control, or solitary, by some, known by everyone else as "the hole". Near
total isolation can crack all but the toughest of cons, but none was so alone that there wasn’t room for death. At
least one inmate managed to hang himself, another set himself on fire; once two men left too long in a single
tomb like cell, only one walked out, leaving his cellmate’s body behind, stuffed beneath a bunk. Could there be
other similar surprises? Or words left over from the days before the prison closed? Even when they are empty,
some swear something walks these halls. It is not enough for contemporary visitors not to wonder off alone
while sight seeing, what‘s become one of Mansfield’s more popular tourist attractions. But the bloodiest single
incident in the old prison’s history occurred outside it’s walls. In July of 1948, when the Reformatory’s farm boss,
his wife and daughter were kidnapped and shot to death by two parolees bent on revenge. A six-state manhunt
for the so called "mad-dog killers" ended in a shootout that left Robert Daniels of Columbus in custody and his
partner, James West dead. "I’ll get the Chair" Daniels told police as he signed the confession. And on January
3rd, 1949, he did. A year later in 1950 disaster struck again. This time, here in the living quarters of the
Warden himself. The Warden’s wife, removing a jewelry box from a closet shelf accidentally dropped a pistol
from it’s hiding place. When it hit the floor, the gun went off inflicting a fatal wound. And within the decade, even
more bad luck. The Warden, hard at work in his office, suffered a heart attack and died. All this was over forty
years ago and more, how then to explain the voices shook up tour guides swear they hear today? Man and
woman talking, too faint to understand, to persistent to ignore and chilling to listeners who believe they are
alone, only to find themselves apparently eavesdropping on the warden and his wife locked forever in an
endless conversation from beyond the grave. Arriving at the castle like prison I (Mark) was astonished at its
size. The medieval appearance of the structure, while ominous, lures one forward into it’s past. The seemingly
endless stairs, hallways and rooms covered in the darkness spoke of a very large place indeed. The paint
peeling from its ceilings and walls, the dust and paint chips layered on the mattresses and the rust forming on
exposed pipes and cell doors lent to its eerie atmosphere and the sense of absolute destitution. After the tour
(while taking EMF readings) we were interviewed by a newspaper reporter from the Intelligencer, West Virginia.
We immediately began our investigation in the west cellblock. Walking down the second floor tier our lights cut
through the pitch blackness. We took a number of EVP readings as well as EMF readings as we went through
the jail cells. During this phase of the investigation a member of the team proclaimed to have felt a touch on
her. No EMF or thermometer readings were detected out of the ordinary. We made our way down to the
solitary confinement cells ("the whole") where most of the cells where blocked by large steel doors. After
investigating these cells we went to the adjoining cells where we could not detect any readings. Like last year
many of the pictures taken showed what appeared to be an enormous amount of dust in the air while the next
frame area would be absolutely clear. This happened several times on different cameras that were of different
makes both last year as well as this year. This leads us to believe that the digital technology has a lot to do with
this. We believe that virtually all of the orbs taken were simply dust orbs. There was one picture taken by one
member in the Warden's office however using a 35mm camera that has an anomaly that we could not explain
and could not duplicate. Paranormal? Possibly, we really just do not know. Because of the events that occurred
last year that we could not explain, as well as this year (2007) we feel as if further investigating is required. We
look forward to returning to this interesting and mysterious place again sometime in the next few years. If ever
given the opportunity, one should not hesitate to experience this historical site. Members present included
Jonda Lombardo, Mike Livingston, and co-founders Donnie Shepherd and Mark Stewart.
Mansfield Prison 2007
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