Ohio State Reformatory – Investigation
March 16, 2019
Mansfield, OH
Investigation
The Ohio State Reformatory began as an actual reformatory for younger criminals and first-time offenders. In time, the prison began taking in hardened criminals from all over the state which ultimately led to higher security and even torture to keep the prisoners in line. Murder and suicide began to become commonplace in the jail. Overcrowding the individual cells became the only option for the state-run correctional facility and eventually up to four inmates were housed in cells that were built to only house one or two criminals. With the rise in inhumane treatment led to an increase in violence. More tortuous means of punishment were implemented, and the cycle continued over time. Riots took place, even making the state officials step in and negotiate with the convicts. Finally, after nearly a decade of depravity, the prison was finally closed after complaints and the publics incites to the cruel lifestyle the criminals became accustomed to during their stay at the Ohio State Reformatory.
To this day, thanks in large part to local preservation groups, the Ohio State Reformatory still stands close to its’ original form. Even though the majority of the prison yard and its’ barrier walls has been demolished for the development of a current and modern prison, the original cell blocks and administration building have been partially restored and preserved in order to teach future generations about the lifestyle and architecture of the past.
As we arrived, we began snapping photos and exploring the grounds of the prison until we were able to begin our historic tour. During the tour, we managed to speak with some of the employees and volunteers working at the jail. They shared their experiences and photographs with us, giving us an idea of where to start and the most active hot spots.
Our investigation began roughly around 8:30 PM and we were able to explore and examine the gorgeous stone-walled penitentiary until 3:00 AM. The equipment list included a recorder, an EMF reader, a K2 meter, two night vision video, an SB7 spirit box, light up balloons (which were not used due to the open air and light breeze throughout), a Rempod, and an Ovilus.
The main area which we felt a presence and activity was outside Old Sparky’s Room. We did capture voices and communication in various locations throughout the jail but we really did not notice a lot of these clearly until we reviewed the recordings and video afterward. Some of the best photographic evidence came from the same location outside Old Sparky, but also at other random locations like the hospital, cell blocks, and James Lockhart’s cell, which again we didn’t notice until we began reviewing the footage and photos. There were a few odd noises and voices throughout like bangs and growls in quite a few spots all through the reformatory.
Below are our recordings and videos, which we captured throughout the evening. We marked the locations where we feel we received some kind of communication from the other side – voices, noises, anything and everything we captured. Let us know your thoughts if you get the chance to listen and watch some of the footage.
As always, you have been warned, some of this is not for the faint of heart and can be slightly explicit:
West Cell Block – Jesus Room
Disembodied voices and footsteps have been said to be regular occurrences in this room. Volunteers, employees, and visitors have all felt a cold but light presence in this room and some have even felt tapped on the shoulder when no one is around them.
Photos:
- We snapped a few photos around the room but did not capture anything out of the ordinary. However, in the video, there appear to be eyes following Derrick down the corridor. We attached those as still frames so they’re easier to see.
Recording 1 – Spirit Box:
- Before we even began speaking and running the camera, we heard “Hello” at :09 followed by a name either “Adeline” or “Madeline” at :46.
- We asked if the spirit could touch the white Rempod and we heard in response “Box.”
- At 4:18 we captured a first voice saying “Nervous” and a second voice saying “Run” at 4:28.
- At this point we began filming as well and immediately heard “Name” at 4:56 as we asked if anyone was with us.
- We heard “It is” after we told the spirit that it may be difficult to speak. Oddly enough, this was not captured on the camera.
- At 5:24 we heard “Word?” followed by “Out the window” at 5:45 after we asked how they died.
- Right around 6:25, Derrick felt a tug at his leg.
- We asked if they touched Derrick and at 6:40 we recorded “Not me” followed by “That’s it” at 7:24.
- “Abort” was recorded at 7:28.
- At 8:04 we clearly recorded “Did you find the attic?” and repeated again at 8:15 “The attic.”
Video 1 – EVP:
- Nothing, but at :20 and :21 seconds you can see Derrick hear and feel something behind him as eyes appear over his shoulder.
Video 2 – Spirit Box:
- As we began the spirit box, we heard “Name” at :35 after we asked if anyone was with us.
- Dan clicked on his light and Derrick took a photo and we captured “Bright light” at :37.
- At 1:02 we heard “Word?” followed by “Out the window” at 1:23 after we asked how they died.
- Right around the 2:00 mark, Derrick felt a tug at his leg and can be seen trying to debunk this by finding anything on the floor that could have felt like a tug but could not find anything.
- “Abort” came through the spirit box at 2:56.
- At 3:43 we clearly recorded “Did you find the attic?”
Solitary Confinement – Sub-Basement
There have been reports of a young boy, preteen age, wondering the halls down here where the original solitary confinement area began. This boy was said to be murdered, stabbed to death by an unknown assailant. There are other stories about a demonic entity trapped here who takes the form of a young boy. Whatever is in the basement has been known to move things that have been left down there and whisper into people’s ears. On occasion, people will feel tugs sometimes on their clothing sometimes on their hair.
Photos:
- We did not capture anything out of the ordinary on the photos.
Recording 1 – Left Room – Spirit Box:
- As we were asking the spirit if they were with us and had a name, we recorded the name “Benjamin” on three different occasions, at 2:59, 3:55, and 4:28.
Recording 2 – Left Room with Alyssa – Spirit Box:
- We asked before we began rolling the camera, we asked where the child’s parents were when he died, and we heard a response of “In back” at 1:01.
- At 1:48 we captured “Name?” after we asked if they would like to talk to us.
- Alyssa asked the spirit if they want to know something about her to which we heard a response of “Not really” at 5:40 and “What?” after we stated that it was cold.
Recording 3 – Right Room with Alyssa – Spirit Box:
- As we began recording on both the camera and recorder we heard “Yeah” after we asked if they want to talk followed by “Alyssa” at 1:35 as we asked if they could give us a sign.
- At 2:38 we captured “My turn?”
- Alyssa introduced herself again after she asked if the spirit would feel more comfortable if they had a proper introduction. At 3:40 we heard “Yes” as a response.
- “Benjamin” once again was captured on the recorder but not the camera at 3:48.
- We asked if the spirit could touch the Rempod and we heard “I don’t know” at 4:43.
- Finally, we asked if the spirit could give us a sign and at 5:45 we heard “I’m here.”
Video 1 – Main Area:
- Nothing.
Video 2 – Left Room – Spirit Box:
- We asked what the entity’s name was and at 2:37 we captured “Benjamin.”
- “Benjamin” came through two more times at 3:37 and 4:10 as if this spirit was getting frustrated that we could not make out its name at the time.
Video 3 – Left Room – Spirit Box with Alyssa:
- We had a guest join us for this session, and we had hoped the spirit of this young teen would connect more with a woman.
- After we asked for a sign, we heard “Alyssa” at :29.
- At 1:32 we captured “My turn?”
- Alyssa introduced herself again after she asked if the spirit would feel more comfortable if they had a proper introduction. At 2:34 we heard “Yes” as a response.
- We asked if the spirit could touch the Rempod and we heard “I don’t know” at 3:36.
Solitary Confinement
In this area, prisoners were tortured and put through severe and extreme punishment. The inhumane treatment drove many of these men insane and even led to a multitude of suicides. To this day, guests claim to hear gibberish, moans, and groans of pain and insanity. Many others feel physical pain such as nausea, headaches, and just an overall uneasy feeling. The most common occurrence is the sense of being watched and followed throughout the area.
1st Floor Solitary Confinement
Photos:
- There was nothing paranormal caught in the majority of the pictures, however, we did capture something moving outside of one of the doors .
Recording 1 – EVP:
- We understood that a good way to get some responses was to just sit in Solitary in a cell and just talk. Ideally acting like an inmate just having a conversation with a cellmate. The majority of this session was simple conversation but there were a few odd moments that we captured after we reviewed the recording.
- We heard a deep unknown voice that was indecipherable at 4:01.
- There were two loud bangs coming from inside the room at 7:03 and 7:06 that there was no clear explanation.
2nd Floor Solitary Confinement
Photos:
- Nothing abnormal was captured on the pictures.
Recording 1 – Spirit Box:
- The only communication we heard was an odd moaning noise around the :12 mark.
Video 1 – Spirit Box:
- We asked what the spirit was in jail for and immediately at :08 we heard a grumbled voice but could not make out what they said. We tried to clean up the footage but still could not make anything out.
- At both 5:00 and 6:00 marks we noticed movement down the dark hallway.
Video 2 – Spirit Box:
- Nothing occurred here but if you’d like a good laugh, Dan was startled by one of the guests behind him and jumped a mile! His reaction is truly priceless.
Admin Building 2nd Floor – Helen’s Room
There have been a multitude of reports of Helen Glattke’s rose perfume lingering inside her room and even out into the hallway toward the bathroom area. Some guests have even seen a full body in a long white gown wondering aimlessly from the bedroom to the bathroom, following the same path as the perfume.
Photos:
- We did not photograph anything out of the ordinary.
Recording 1 – Spirit Box:
- As we began the recorder, we immediately captured “Helen” at :23. We asked if Helen was here with us and heard “No” at :50.
- We introduced ourselves and captured “Hello” at 1:30 followed by our names repeated back to us, “Daniel” at 1:39 and “Derrick” at 1:43.
- At this point we began recording on the camera and explained that if the spirit gets close to the light or the Rempod that we would know that they’re with us. At 1:52, as if in response, we heard “Hello.”
- Even though we didn’t hear this through the camera, at 3:30 we heard “Talk” on the recorder.
- After we asked if Mrs. Glattke is with us, we heard “Yeah” at 3:52 followed by “Over there” at 3:55.
- At 4:52 we captured “Helen” after asking for a name.
- While Derrick made his way into the closet where the gun discharged and shot Helen, we captured “Get back” at 5:19 as if he was being warned of the danger.
- At 6:36 we heard “Sure” after we asked if the spirit could come close.
- “You seem like a nice man” was captured at 8:07.
- We heard “What about now?” at 8:30 after we asked if the spirit could speak up followed by a different voice at 8:32 saying “Shut up.”
- At 9:18 we heard “Died?” as we asked how the spirit died.
- After Derrick walked back into the room, we heard “Hi” at 10:01 followed by “What now?” at 10:38.
- We asked if they liked the time they had living here, and heard “Yes” at 10:49 and “Me too” at 11:18 as if someone else was answering too.
- At 12:46 we captured “What about the box?” after we took the Ovilus our and told the spirit we had another tool to use.
- After some silence, we recorded “C’mon” at 15:06. We said yeah, come talk to us. At 15:15 we heard “No.”
- The Ovilus showed the word “Rise” around the 15:23 mark and we heard “Get back” at 15:51 as Derrick reached in the closet where the gun was stored.
- We told the spirit to light up the Rempod and at 16:45 we heard “Who’s there?”
- Dan said that he wasn’t getting anything more and at 17:04 we captured “You can’t.”
Video 1 – Spirit Box:
- We told the spirit that if they get close to the light or the Rempod that we would know that they’re with us. At :44, as if in response, we heard “Hello.”
- After we asked if Mrs. Glattke is with us, we heard “Yeah” at 2:10 followed by “Over there” at 2:12.
- At 3:09 we captured “Helen” after asking again for a name.
- While Derrick made his way into the closet where the gun discharged and shot Helen, we captured “Get back” at 3:36 as if he was being warned of the danger.
- At 4:53 we heard “Sure” after we asked if the spirit could come close.
- “You seem like a nice man” was captured at 6:24.
- We asked if the spirit could talk louder and clearer and we heard “What about now?” at 6:47 followed by a different voice at 6:49 saying “Shut up.”
- At 7:35 we heard “Died?” after we asked how they died here.
- Once Derrick walked back into the room from the hallway, we captured “Hi” at 8:18 followed by “What now?” at 8:55.
- After we asked if they liked the time they had living in the jail, we heard “Yes” at 9:06 and “Me too” at 9:35 as if someone else was answering as well.
- We took out the Ovilus and told the spirit we had another tool to use. At 11:03 we recorded “What about the box?”
- After some silence, we recorded “C’mon” at 13:23 so we responded saying yeah, come on talk to us. At 13:32 we clearly heard “No.”
- The Ovilus produced “Rise” at 13:40 and we heard “Get back” at 14:08 when Derrick again reached in the closet where the gun was stored.
- We told the spirit to light up the Rempod and at 15:02 we heard “Who’s there?”
- Dan said that he wasn’t getting any more and at 15:21 we heard “You can’t.”
Admin Building 2nd Floor – Chair Room
The legend tells of the chair in the middle of the room moving on its’ own. The story goes that the chair is always situated in the center of the room. If someone moves it out of its’ place, they will come back later to the chair being back to the center of the room. However, no volunteers or employees have ever actually seen or experienced this occurrence. There is the feeling of being watched and visitors feeling cold spots move throughout the room and getting goosebumps even before they feel a cold area. Whispers can be heard moving around the room, supposedly more residual than intelligent.
Photos:
- There was nothing paranormal caught on camera.
Recording 1 – Spirit Box:
- We began by explaining that the spirit can use this box to speak to us, at :40 we heard “Box.”
- We also explained that the spirit could use the Rempod to speak, at 1:28 we heard “I can?”
- At 2:59 we captured an odd and slightly undecipherable saying that sounded to us like the spirit said “I came from Suffolk.”
- The Ovilus produced the word “Suffix” at 3:57 and at 4:02 we heard “Close.”
- At 4:55 “Doctrine” appeared on the Ovilus.
- We said that at the point we’d take pretty much anything to which we heard “Fuck you” at the 5:19 mark.
- The Ovilus showed “He is guilty” at about 5:57.
- We asked who is guilty we heard “Get back” at 6:52 just as “Scale” appeared on the Ovilus at 6:53.
- We heard a phantom coughing twice at 7:38, even though this was not heard on the video followed by the word “Boys” at 7:56.
- At 8:00 the Ovilus showed “Blind” then finally we captured the word “Boys” again at 8:42.
Video 1:
- Even though we could decipher it, there was a whispering at 1:02.
- As we asked if the spirit could use the Rempod to speak, at 1:13 we heard “I can?”
- At 2:44 we captured an odd and slightly undecipherable saying that sounded to us like the spirit said “I came from Suffolk.”
- The Ovilus showed the word “Suffix” at 3:43 and at 3:47 we heard “Close.”
- At 4:40 we read “Doctrine” on the Ovilus.
- As we were unable to put these few things together, we said that at the point we’d take pretty much anything to which we heard “Fuck you” at 5:04.
- The Ovilus produced the words “He is guilty” around 5:42.
- As we asked who is guilty we heard “Get back” at 6:37 just as “Scale” came through the Ovilus at 6:39.
- Finally at 7:45 the Ovilus produced it’s last word in the room – “Blind.”
Admin Building 1st Floor – Outside Old Sparky’s Room
There have been a plethora of experiences in this location. Being that the original electric chair and switches are still located in the room, it’s no wonder why some of these spirits would still be attached to the chair itself. Handprints can actually still be seen in the arms of the chair. Voices and shadows have been commonplace for guests to experience, even when they aren’t looking for any paranormal experience. There have been reports of many different names and dates recorded by paranormal investigators in this spot. The shadows have been said to roam between the room that Old Sparky is located in and it’s neighboring room. These shadows will appear and disappear in the doorways.
Photos:
- We did not capture anything in the photographs here, however, there were quite a few moments that were caught on the video camera. There were three different moment where orbs moved in and out of rooms. We took some stills of those videos so that was easier to pick out.
Recording 1 – Walking toward Old Sparky – Spirit Box:
- As we walked through the East Block to get back to the Admin Building, we ran the recorder and heard a little bit through the spirit box seemingly coming from inside the cells we passed.
- We heard “Behind” at 1:16 and as we turned to look behind us, we heard “Stop it” at 1:18.
- Passing along more cells, we heard “Prick” at 1:27 and “Time flies” at 2:03.
- As we approached the end of the cell block, we captured “Building” at 2:26.
Recording 2 – Walking toward Old Sparky – EVP:
- We continued through the cell block this time without the spirit box, recording again, but this time we heard nothing.
Recording 3 – Finally outside Old Sparky – Spirit Box:
- Right off the bat we asked if anyone was with us, at :44 we heard “Me.”
- We asked the spirit’s name and we captured “My name?” at 1:20. We responded saying yes, your name. At 1:49 we heard “Will.”
- After we asked if they could repeat their name, at 1:49 we heard “Will” again.
- After some silence, we heard “Hello?” at 2:16.
- We asked if anyone sat in that chair and at 3:26 we captured “Will.”
- After we asked who is here, we recorded “Me” at 3:50.
- We heard “No” at 4:21 after we asked if they could bang on the door followed by “Speak” at 4:31 and again “You speak” at 4:36.
- We told the spirit to push on the door and at 4:57 we captured “Why?”
- After asking if they killed someone we heard “Maybe” at 5:44.
- We asked the spirit to be more decisive and we captured “She did it” at 6:08. After we asked what she did, we recorded “I don’t want to” at 6:31.
- We asked who was with us and again we heard “William” at 7:16.
- After a long silence we asked if this was the same spirit and we heard “Yeah, it’s me” at 10:24.
- After we asked what happened to the spirit and why they’re stuck here we heard “Died” at 10:49. We responded asking if he died in Old Sparky to which we got “Yes” at 11:10.
- We asked if he died there and we heard “No” at 12:23.
- “They know” was captured at 12:44 followed by the Rempod being activated at 13:35.
- We thanked the spirit for touching the Rempod and at 13:54 we recorded “It was me.”
- The Rempod was alerted once again at 14:06 followed by “That was me” at 14:29.
- We asked the spirit to touch it one more time and we’ll be done and at 15:03 we heard “I’m not done.”
- At 15:47 we heard “Look” followed by the Rempod going off again at 16:02.
- At 16:51 we heard “Coming” then more Rempod activity at 17:31.
Video 1 – Spirit Box:
- We began by asking the spirit’s name to which we heard “My name?” at 1:05. We responded saying yes, your name. At 1:13 we heard “Will.”
- At 1:34 we asked if they could repeat their name and we heard “Will” again.
- As Dan tripped over a floor sign, we captured “Dan” at 3:35.
- After we told the spirit to give us a sign we heard “Right here” at 3:57.
- An orb was captured moving from a side door to Old Sparky’s room at 4:01. Derrick got cold right around 4:37 following the orb movement.
- At 4:41 we captured “Please stop.”
Video 2 – Spirit Box:
- As we began recording again, another orb (or the same one) could be seen moving out of Old Sparky’s room at :04.
- At :30 we captured “Get back.”
- We asked if the spirit could touch the Rempod and at 2:11 we heard “No” followed by “I don’t want to” at 2:15.
- As we asked who was with us again, we heard “William” at 2:58.
- We tried to verify and asked if this was the same spirit and we received “Yeah, it’s me” at 3:37.
- After we asked what happened to the spirit and why they’re stuck here we heard “Died” at 3:57. We responded asking if he died in Old Sparky to which we heard “Yes” at 4:25.
- At 4:32 as if the spirit was continuing the conversation, we heard “I’m here.”
- “They know” was captured at 5:56 followed by the Rempod being activated at 6:47.
- We thanked the spirit for touching the Rempod and at 7:07 we recorded “It was me.”
- The Rempod was alerted once again at 7:19 followed by “That was me” at 7:29.
- At 7:51 we caught an orb moving away from the Rempod.
- There was an odd whispering at 8:13 but we could not fully determine what was said here.
- We asked the spirit to touch it one more time and we’ll be done and at 8:17 we heard “I’m not done.”
- At 9:01 we heard “Look” followed by the Rempod going off again at 9:16.
- At 10:04 we captured “Coming” then the final Rempod activity at 10:44.
Shower Room “Car Wash” – Spirit Box
This area has been said to be a gathering place for spirits who were condemned to death by Old Sparky. Many of the names that were given and reported by Old Sparky have been the same ones that were reported in this location. There has been residual voices heard here as well as if the spirits are communicating with one another in this apparent paranormal rendezvous.
Photos:
- There was nothing abnormal caught in the pictures here. However, on our walk to our next location, we walked through the West Block and did manage to capture what appeared to be an orb moving away from us. We reviewed other photos and attempted to debunk this as dust but we could not.
Recording 1:
- As we introduce ourselves, we heard “How are you?” at 1:49.
- We believe we heard some residual conversation as we captured “Hello” at 3:23 and “Hi” at 3:24.
- At 5:42 we believe we caught a name as we heard “Hi Pete.”
- On the Ovilus we saw “Mouse” at 8:02.
- We heard “Hurt” at 12:02 followed by the Ovilus producing the word “Hurt” at 12:04.
- At 12:51 we heard a groaning noise and “Hurt me” at 12:59.
- At 13:54 “Arms” was shown on the Ovilus.
- As we didn’t feel any spirits with us any longer, at 14:39 we heard “Nothing at all?”
- The Ovilus showed the word “Sky” at 14:51.
- We asked if anyone wanted to speak to us and at 16:44 we heard a clear “No.”
Video 1 – Spirit Box:
- As we introduce ourselves, we heard “How are you?” at 1:48.
- We believe we heard some residual conversation as we captured “Hello” at 3:22 and “Hi” at 3:23.
- At 5:41 we believe we caught a name as we heard “Hi Pete.”
- On the Ovilus we saw “Mouse” at 8:01.
- We heard “Hurt” at 8:20 followed by the Ovilus producing the word “Hurt” at 8:22.
- At 9:09 we heard a groaning noise and “Hurt me” at 9:18.
- At 10:13 “Arms” was shown on the Ovilus. 1:54
- As we didn’t feel any spirits with us any longer, at 10:58 we heard “Nothing at all?”
- The Ovilus showed the word “Sky” at 11:10.
- We asked if anyone wanted to speak to us and at 13:30 we heard a clear “No.”
East Block – Infirmary
The infirmary has been a location known for death but not from anything serious or immediate. This was mainly used for sick inmates. However, no matter how serious the sickness, typically, the prisoner would be given a quick evaluation, medication, then tossed back out into the populace. If they were not capable of returning on their own will, they would be laid up in an uncomfortable, cold, and dark infirmary bed essentially left to rot. Many inmates who died in the infirmary died slowly and even simply starved to death. This location has been noted for footsteps and banging noises that sound like clanging metal. Doors have been said to slam closed here on their own.
Photos:
- We captured two things in one single picture. The first, and most notably, was a pair of eyes appearing on the right side of the photograph. The second, and quite possibly one of the most disturbing photos we’ve ever captured, is on the left side which appears to be a full body including a face just simply watching us as we investigated the area.
Recording 1:
- Something very odd occurred here. Our entire recording, including our own voices, have been completely covered by static. We have no idea why or how this happened. If this is paranormal or a malfunction it has not once ever happened to us before.
- At 1:14, there is an odd sound almost like a yawn.
- 4:33 there seems to be a muted sound as if an interruption of the feed.
- There sounds be a faint coughing noise around 5:05.
- At the 7:58 mark, there sounds to be some incoherent whispering.
- There seems to be an odd breathing around 8:13.
East Block 4th Floor – James Lockhart’s Room
In 1960 in cell 13 of the 4th floor of the East Block, a long time inmate, James Lockhart stole a canister of turpentine from the jail’s furniture shop, covered himself in it, and set himself on fire. Before he lit the match, he barricaded himself in his cell. The guards watched in horror as James burnt to death, slowly and painfully. In this cell, it is said that guests feel sick and cold. Some say they hear whispers and moans. The most common occurrences include screams, terrible and painful screams of terror and horror. These screams have been heard down the hallway and traced to James’ cell. When those in earshot chase this ghastly and horrific sound, they enter James’ cell only to smell smoke and some even claim to seem the burnt embers of a tortured soul reliving his demise all eternity.
Photos:
- We did not capture anything unusual here. However, in the video, we peered out down the hall and captured what appears to be a full body shadow at the end of it.
Recording 1:
- Review
Video 1 – Spirit Box:
- As we made our way to James Lockhart’s room, down toward the end of the cell block a light flickered and a vague outline of a shadow appeared right around :35.
- After we ask if we can call him Jim, at 1:48 we hear an odd echoing voice that is muffled. We did not hear this on the recorder, nor did we hear this noise while recording.
Video 2 – Spirit Box:
- Before we were able to start video recording, the Rempod flashed and sounded.
- At :40 we captured “I am” after we asked if James was with us and lit up the Rempod.
- After we asked if he could light the Rempod up again, it flashed on without noise at :49.
- We turned the light off and the volume of the spirit box down and we heard “I like it” at 1:41 as if thanking us.
- At 2:04 the Rempod was again alerted.
- We asked why James did what he did and at 3:06 we captured “Help.”
- After some silence we told James that if he wanted us to leave that to just tell us. At 5:53 we heard “I want.”
- At 6:01 we captured “Get out” but after more silence we began using the Ovilus and told the spirit that we have another tool to use to which we heard “Shut up” at 7:58.
- “Anthony” appeared on the Ovilus at 8:58.
- An echoing whistle was heard at 10:42 followed by “Bottom” on the Ovilus at 10:59.
- We captured “I’m over there, look” at 11:05 as we began looking around the hallway.
Chapel
Before the space was converted to its’ current state, as the chapel, this location was originally utilized as the execution area. Many prisoners were killed where the pews and podium presently stand. Many volunteers consider this room the most haunted of the entire building. Plenty of visitors claim to see shadows standing in doorways and disappear as soon as they are noticed. Odd lights have been noticed in pictures and similarly unusual noises have been recorded and noted by guests. There are also rare occurrences of people being touched and grabbed while visiting this room.
Photos:
- We did not capture anything in the photographs.
Recording 1:
- After a little silence we heard “Lots” as a response to us asking if any spirits attending services here.
- “I’m sorry” was recorded at 2:51 as if some residual spirit was attending a service.
- We asked if the spirit in the chapel could give us their name and at 3:28 we captured “Mike” followed by some undecipherable word, possibly a last name.
- There seemed to be more residual communication as we heard “It’s late” at 3:59, “Anyone” at 4:49, “False” at 6:05, and finally “Natural” at 7:24. None of these were intelligent responses or communication to anything we were saying.
Attic
Before the jail decided to overcrowd individual cells, the attic was once home to the overflow area for prisoners. Even while the prison was still in operation, the prisoners claimed to see an apparition of a young woman in this area. The guards claimed that they were mad, but these prisoners even had explained that this woman would tuck them in on cold evenings. To this day, reports claim the appearance of shadow people, voices, and footsteps in the attic. Some volunteers and employees have said that they hear cell doors slamming shut as well as other odd banging noises echoing from out of the dark and cold attic area.
Photos:
- We did not capture anything in the photographs while we were recording our session, however, before we walked out we turned back and snapped a photo. It appears as though there is a light mist in the right side of the picture, this was right before we turned to walk out only to hear a loud banging.
Recording 1:
- Right off the bat, at :43, we heard “Talk to me.”
- After that, there was barely any communication, and we asked if any spirits could touch the box and we would leave. At 3:20 we captured “Do it” almost as if the spirits were communicating with one another trying to touch the Rempod to make us leave.
- As we were walking out of the final location for the evening, we heard a loud bang behind us definitively coming from the attic. We went back to investigate this noise but there was nothing out of place. Unfortunately we had already packed up and did not record this noise.
After the investigation of the Ohio State Reformatory, we confidently feel that there was conclusive evidence of both intelligent and residual hauntings throughout the old stone prison. The locations we felt were the most intelligently active were the hallway outside of Old Sparky, Helen’s Room, the Sub Basement, and James Lockhart’s cell. The most residual locations were the Chapel, the Chair Room, and the Shower “Carwash” Room. The overall feeling of the jail changed from location to location. Solitary confinement and both East and West cell blocks had very heavy and dark air about them. It seemed to weigh on our chests even made it a little difficult to breath at times. Some other spots like the Sub Basement, Helen’s Room, and the Shower Room all had a definitive lighter and welcoming feel to them.
There was plenty of opportunity to speak with volunteers, employees, and security guards so aside from our evidence and experiences, we also managed to get their personal stories and encounters. Once we analyzed our data and evidence from the evening of March 16-17, we can positively state that the Ohio State Reformatory holds a plethora of different entities. We managed to capture the names of Benjamin in the Sub-Basement and Will or William outside of Old Sparky. We recorded a large amount of voices and conversations and a handful of photographs that we feel captured evidence of spirits lurking throughout the building. A large majority of our evidence is communication through the SB7 spirit box and Rempod which was recorded on the video camera and digital voice recorder. Based on our experiences and the evidence gathered, we can conclude that the Ohio State Reformatory is home to many other paranormal entities.
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