Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Scott Golden, Tom Reed, Shaneen Reed, Kalen Gordon
Investigation Date: July 31, 2010
HISTORY: Opened in September 1886, it housed over 155,000 male prisoners. It closed on December 31, 1990. The front (administrative) part of the prison is considered the largest castle-like structure in Ohio and one of the five largest in the USA. With its large granite pillars, Gothic columns and element construction, some have considered the prison to be a monumental 19th century architectural achievement. The prison was the setting for “The Shawshank Redemption” movie. Many scenes were also filmed there for “Air Force One” and “Tango and Cash”. See Investigation #1 for more history.
CLAIMS: East Cell Block – voices heard, an apparition ran into a cell, metal scaping sounds, sounds of cell door closing, much EVP evidence: East Shower – shadow figure and voices of prisoner killed there; East Diagonal barber shop – women’s hair get pulled, man’s voices; Wardens Living Area – Helen Glatke, wife of the Warden, died of an accidental gunshot in the bedroom closet when a pistol was dropped. In the same room the Warden suffered a heart attack and died. Voices have been heard there of a man and woman talking as well as the smell of woman’s perfume and cherry flavored pipe tobacco. See Investigation #1 for more claims.
INVESTIGATION: Our second investigation to the prison. We investigated from 9pm until 4:30am. Before beginning I walked through the small museum in front that shows the prison’s electric chair and a display on executions as well as a display on the movies filmed here. We roamed throughout the two cell blocks and other rooms but I concentrated downstairs in “The Hole”, solitary confinement/death row cells (Photo#6). Prisoners who broke the rules were placed there for days in the dark, dank, roach-infested cells with little to eat. No wonder there are so many paranormal claims in this brutal area. In “The Hole” (Photo#7 & #8) we met a lady who was using a dowsing rod. Being a skeptic, she let me borrow it. I was in a cell where one smaller prisoner killed his much larger cellmate due to him taking and eating a couple days of his meals. Using the dowsing rods to ask “Yes” or “No” questions, the rods moved when I asked pertinent questions about the incident. The rods also moved “Yes” when I asked if the murder took place in the 1950’s. We spent several hours in the “administrative” castle part of the prison which included the wardens living quarters. Conducted EVP’s there include Mrs. Glatke’s closet (Photos#9 & #10) where she died. We did not get any evidence but in the west cell block when I asked about your prison life while doing a EVP, a man’s voice said what sounded like the word “horrible”. One Shawshank Redemption movie area was the room where Brooks lived after his release from prison (Photo#11).
