Abandoned Ohio photography & Urban Exploration

The facility was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in full operation until 1972 once the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility was opened. The facility was completely closed down in 1990. Part of the grounds and support buildings however, including the outer wall have been demolished since the closing. In 1995, the "Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society" was formed. They have turned the prison into a museum and conduct tours to help fund grounds rehabilitation projects and currently work to stabilize the buildings against further deterioration. The facility still holds the largest free standing cell block in the world at six tiers high.

About 70% of Shawshank Redemption was filmed in Mansfield. We also visited the big oak tree that was at the end of the movie. The "big hayfield" as mentioned in the movie is actually very small and the filed was of weeds, not hay.