History: The Central Guard Room

The Central Guard Room is located in the center of the Reformatory on the second floor and was integral to the prison’s operation. Inmates would have entered through this room during the processing at the beginning of their sentence, and would also leave the Reformatory through this space. This space had several purposes throughout the prison’s operation as well, including being used for visitation, and the control center for guards. After the Reformatory closed, the Shawshank Redemption used this space to film the cafeteria scenes for the movie. Today the space is used for various events held by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society.