granddarkconspiracy.com

[Legba]

The Mansfield Reformatory is a great place to ghost hunt. I have gone once, and spent the night there. It was great fun and a really cool place just to be in. I went with my wife and another couple. We only really had one experience. I went into a jail cell and something tugged my shirt sleeve and then touched my cheek and neck. I actually saw my shirt sleeve pull away from my body. I bolted out of that cell pretty quick. Has anyone else ever visited the Reformatory?

[KO'Presley]

My visit to the old reformatory was not on a ghost hunt but an open house event. I don't recall the reason the reformatory was open for tours but it might have been to raise funds. Some of the buildings have since been demolished though I don't recall which are no longer there. I remember our group going through the huge cafeteria, the grounds and of course the main cell block.

This was a daytime visit on a raw autumn day. Not a ghost hunt but just being there in the day was plenty creepy! Nothing paranormal happened but I recall the distinct feeling of dread, gloom and a very heavy feeling throughout the cell block. The prison population had only recently been moved and some of the cells still had unmade beds and a few cast off personal items. The whole place had a very strong odor that lingered in my nose for several hours. Nothing paranormal about the odor...just the smell of a lot of people in very close quarters.

An interesting side note: my father as a deputy sheriff brought a few prisoners to OSR in the 1970s and 1980s. He said that the men would suddenly become very quiet and timid once those huge doors closed behind them.