Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction The Ohio State Reformatory
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Construction began on the Ohio State Reformatory (OSR) in 1886 on a 600 acre site in Richland County. The prison opened its doors in 1896. OSR housed approximately 2,400 adult male inmates. The prison is home to the tallest steel cellblock in the world.
The last inmates were transferred out of the aging facility on December 31, 1990. In 1995, the prison was leased to the City of Mansfield and the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society. The former prison has been renovated and restored for use as a museum and office space. Inmates from the nearby Mansfield Correctional Institution perform grounds keeping at the facility.
- Tale of Two Cities (December 9, 1990)
(Reprinted with permission from the Mansfield News Journal)