By Becky McKinnell – Archivist / Historian at Ohio State Reformatory

“The vestibules, halls, & passage ways of the front buildings will be laid with a neat but plain pattern of Zanesville encaustic tiles.  The front vestibules may be of a handsome pattern, but all of the rest will be of alternate octagons of buff & red with black square dots & a 6” black border.” (Specifications for Ohio Intermediate Penitentiary AKA OSR) Not only were the floors of the Reformatory Zanesville tiles, but also the glazed tiles around the fireplaces and exterior vestibules at the side entrances of the Reformatory.

But this isn’t just a story of tile but of economic impact; not just for one town but two! Former Pres. R.B. Hayes attended the laying of the cornerstone in 1886 of the then-called Ohio Intermediate Penitentiary.  Mansfield had lobbied aggressively to have the Intermediate Penitentiary built in Mansfield because of the jobs & demand for materials that would give a huge boost to the local economy.

Gov. William McKinley was on hand for the opening of a new plant in 1892 in Zanesville, Ohio, for the production of tile.

Although the American Encaustic Tiling Co. was headquartered in New York, Zanesville passed a $40,000 bond to purchase land for the factory. As a result, the company built the plant in Zanesville instead of New Jersey as originally planned. The town’s population almost tripled over a 30-year period as people found work with the company (Wikipedia). The factory ultimately closed in 1935, a victim of the Great Depression (Tile Heritage Org.), but its amazing tiles can still be seen at the Ohio State Reformatory and in the movie The Shawshank Redemption.

An inmate once shared with me that he didn’t realize The Shawshank Redemption had been filmed at OSR until he saw the floor tiles. Zanesville still maintains pottery and stoneware production, though not at its 19th-century level. These floor tiles are a lasting link between Mansfield and Zanesville, still greeting OSR visitors every day.

Rebecca McKinnell – Archivist

Philip Schwartz was a social worker and psychologist at OSR from 1964 to 1969. During his first six months at OSR, he rented a room on the 3rd floor of the administration building for $15 a month. While linens were provided and cleaning was done by the trustees, the 3rd floor—currently home to our Escape Rooms—then housed other male employees who also rented rooms. Notably, one of the guys had a great stereo system!

Although Schwartz could eat breakfast and lunch in the mess hall, he preferred to have dinner in town. Eventually, feeling tired of never truly getting away from the prison and his job, he moved into the local YMCA.

After meeting Bernie Barton, Assistant Head of the Psychology Dept., Schwartz was moved to the new youth program at E Dorm.  This was a facility where young adults (16-20 years old) were housed, so they weren’t “contaminated” by the inmates in the general population.

While Schwartz was living at the YMCA, he met a photographer for the Mansfield News Journal. He “hooked up with the News Journal” and started a photography program. Using old instructional manuals and used cameras from a Mansfield Camera Store, they taught the “boys” photography skills and held photo contests.

An extension of the photography program was a Christmas project. To prepare, the photography students got suits, white shirts, and ties for inmates to wear when having their pictures taken. Afterwards, these pictures were put onto cards, which could then be sent home as Christmas cards. Additionally, the cards cost 25 cents from their commissary fund for the picture, card, and postage. As a result, it was a very popular program!

It’s All in The Turn

Rebecca McKinnell – Archivist

Architect Levi Scofield’s design for the Ohio State Reformatory was a stark contrast in materials.  The back of the prison may have been filled with iron bars and steel locks but the transitional room, the Central Guard Room, married steel bars with Gothic marble arches. Once you moved to the front of the building which housed both administrative offices and staff living quarters, attention was paid to the tiniest detail: the doorknobs.

In his specifications, Scofield called for a brass doorknob which was to have “the state coat of arms on the front” or as we could call it today, the seal of the State of Ohio.

These beautiful, solid brass doorknobs with ornate face plates were put on plaques and given to retiring corrections officers.

They were also an attractive to steal ironically in a prison. Through oral histories, I’ve been told that both inmates and guards would steal the knobs to be sold and melted down for the brass. It might be more be easier to believe a guard may have taken them only because of easier access but in a prison, one never knows!  By the 1960’s, a psychologist working at OSR told me he saw guards being sent around the administrative areas removing the doorknobs for safekeeping.  The doorknobs and face plates were put into boxes and ended up at ManCi after OSR closed.

When Frank Darabont, director of the movie Shawshank Redemption, and his production crew arrived at OSR to begin filming they needed doorknobs for the doors in the movie shots.

Hollywood, ever resourceful, were able to get one of the original doorknobs and created molds from which doorknobs made of resin were produced and placed on the doors.  So, when you watch Shawshank Redemption the next time, see if you can tell the real doorknob from the resin ones.

For a simple doorknob, it was a real turn of events.

Why Are You Restoring the West Cell Block and How Can We Help?

Ashleigh Ramey, OSR Program Director

It was 9pm on November 19^th, 2023, and I was relaxing at home when I received a text message from our Paranormal

 Program Manager to let me know that some of our stairs in the West Cell Block had fallen apart during a Ghost Hunt. Luckily, these were not steps that our tour guests have access to and no one was injured. Issues like this are becoming far more common than we would like. The cell blocks have no heat, plexiglass windows that are not secure enough to keep the weather (and the wildlife out), and after existing for almost 140 years, the building needs a lot of attention.  

I have developed some new vocabulary since joining the Reformatory 4 years ago including words like “spalling”. The photo we featured with this segment is an example of the spalling that is currently taking place in the West Cell Block. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ For those who don’t know, spalling is when water condenses, freezes, and thaws within brick (or stone/concrete), and then the brick starts crumbling, flaking, and breaking apart. On top of rusty stairs and rails, plexiglass windows that allow birds and snow into the building, and the lack of heat that contributes to the freezing/unfreezing pattern, we have seen increasing amount of brick spalling over the past few years. It is not an exaggeration for us to say that part of our building is literally crumbling. ​​​​​​​

In Spring 2024, we decided to launch the West Cell Block Restoration Program. We are offering sponsorships of cells to companies and individuals who are interested in helping us save the architectural marvel that is the Ohio State Reformatory. We need to raise $1.4 million to completely restore the West Cell Block and in the past year, we have raised about 10% of our total goal. We have already used the donations from our early program adopters to take care of some of our most desperate needs – I’m looking at you crumbling steel stairs – but so much more needs to be accomplished.

Our plans include 

putting actual windows in, making structural repairs, removing all the peeling paint, re-painting, setting all the cells up as they would have been when the Reformatory was in use, securing the area, repairing the straplock door system so it is operational, and installing HVAC.

If you choose to support the project by sponsoring a cell, your name will live on the cell you choose in perpetuity, and you will get additional perks such as membership, tickets to gift to friends, and access to exclusive donor events. Complete information, including links to donate, can be found on our website at mrps.org/support-donations. You are also welcome to reach out to me directly at ashleigh@mrps.org or 419-522-2644 ext. 101.   ​​​​​​​

We have heard those of you who believe it’s an absolute travesty that we are restoring the cell block. We understand that you like the spooky/creepy factor of seeing it in a deteriorated state, but we have now reached the point where it’s not just visual deterioration, it is structural. ​​​​​​​

If we want this building to live on longer than any of us (and trust me, we do!), then the time to make sure its future is secure is right now.

Do you want your coffee black?

R. McKinnell

Sept 8, 2025

Among the oral histories conducted, not all the interesting stories came from inmates.  Richard Pass came to the Ohio State Reformatory as a social worker in 1963 and later became Director of Social Services.

One of Pass’s (front row left- white shirt and tie) duties was to interview incoming inmates about their family history, medical condition, summary of crime and create a visitor list but his duties also included working with Alcoholics Anonymous.  The meetings were held once a month but an integral part of the meetings was coffee.  When inmates were released, they were given the location of meetings held in Mansfield and coffee was always served.

That, however, wasn’t the case in prison, and when other inmates learned that coffee was served in these meetings, they complained to the superintendent.  Pass had to explain that coffee was essential to the AA re-habilitation.

Pass, (front row left- white shirt and tie) however, ran into bigger problems when he became Director of Social Services.  In that position, he oversaw all the social workers and sat on committees which would screen inmates for transfer to other prison facilities.  An inmate wanted a transfer to Lebanon but 2 out of the 3 on the committee voted against it.  Pass opened the door and an inmate came into his office uninvited to discuss it, but things got out of hand.

Pass’s desk was between his chair and another chair for visitors.  Pass noticed the inmate sniffing a rag which probably had glue in it giving a person a high.  This inmate kept sniffing it while Pass tried to reason with him but to no avail.  The inmate pulled out a leather cutting knife used in the shoe factory and came after him holding a knife to his neck slashing him.  Finally, Pass turned the back of his chair and ran it into the inmate.  Pass was able to escape into the hallway.  The inmate, however, went berserk flipping papers and furniture in Pass’s office until an officer came in.  The inmate got a transfer but not the one he wanted.  He was transferred to Lucasville, Ohio’s maximum-security prison!

Submitted R. McKinnell Aug. 26, 2025    Sept. Newsletter