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It was the evening of September 3, 2005 that we embarked upon our very first formal investigation. The sight of Mansfield Reformatory is daunting, to say the least! We were divided into three groups and led on brief tours to get our bearings. We could, at any time, branch off on our own. It didn't take us very long to decide we were ready to give it a shot.
Despite our being among 60 to 70 other participants now roaming freely in this massive structure, we ran into no one. The only lights available were "corded in" and due to go out within a few minutes. As we wandered into the entry hall leading to the cells in Isolation, we found there was no light in this area at all. Guided by the flashlights my sister held, we found our choices to be left or right. We chose left, proceeded approximately four cells down, and decided this is where it was to begin for us. Cameras on, flashlights off, we proffered our first greeting and invitation to whatever entities, spirits, and/or beings wished to communicate with us. "Can you make your presence known?"
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We saw something - a faint bluish light perhaps? I can only describe the next sound we heard to be "metal-on-metal"- perhaps the scraping of a cell door? The accompanying sound was beyond description - something of a moan? The next sound I heard was my sister's feet - running the other way WITH all the flashlights! There I was, in the pitch black cell block, and there was still a "sound" coming from the hall in front of me. All I could think of in my near-panic state was to keep taking pictures with the digital camera to at least keep some sort of light between me and whatever was down that hall!
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Muttering a number of expletives, I managed to back my way to the entrance to Isolation without falling flat on my tush. I found sis and the flashlights and we broke out in hysterical laughter over the way we had just handled ourselves.
Had we remembered to turn on the digital (audio) recorder? Of course not. Did we take any readings with the IR thermometer or EMF detector? Ummmm....nope. Lessons learned, we pulled ourselves together and headed back down that hall. Once that first scare was out of the way, we were ready for anything!
What we did discover was that Isolation is a horseshoe shape. We walked down the entire left side only to loop around and come out on the right. We found nothing to explain the "bluish light," as there was nothing to reflect any light that we may have had - no door, no window - nothing but wall and darkness. The sounds we heard earlier were not repeated.
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We wandered the west cell wing on the lower level and headed to the shower room. Again, we found ourselves alone and decided to take some readings. The IR temperature gauge gave us several "pockets" of significantly cooler readings. Generally, the temperature was holding between 74 and 76 degrees. We had readings fall 30 to 40 degrees in small concentrated areas. Sis broke out the EMF detector and it started spiking readings to the point where it was simply "buzzing" and eventually burned out the batteries. We decided to stick around awhile and sat on the bench seating along one wall.
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We sat quietly for awhile before deciding to attempt some EVP work. Sis began experiencing a cold pocket at her left shoulder and arm. I was taking various pictures and caught several with reflections from the old pink shower tile. At one point, Sis felt compelled to say, "I extend my hand in friendship." We were floored to have gotten the picture shown here.
We headed for the stairwells to wander the tiers of cells. We were exploring the sixth tier, Sis was about two cells behind me when I heard her say that she felt something tugging at her leg. I immediately turned and took a picture - of her face! Now blinded, she quickly informed me of my error. I tried to compensate by now focusing on her leg. Unfortunately, this only served to produce more spots for her to see. I was not able to capture anything on film.
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Exploring the upper tiers of the west wing cell block.
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There are so many areas to explore within Mansfield. The first half of our night was spent, predominantly, investigating the cell blocks and shower rooms on both the east and west sides. At midnight we joined the others in the admittance area for a pizza break.
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After the break, we headed for the upper floors of the Administrative Wing. Centrally located was the Warden's Quarters. On either side were administrative offices and quarters. We became extremely excited when we heard screaming and people running. Men and women alike were bolting down the halls towards the stairs. What could cause this melee? Cameras ready we headed for the center of it all and quickly saw what was causing all the commotion - bats!
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As most are aware, this area was used in the filming of the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Despite the dust, peeling paint and covered windows, evidence of style and tasteful design still remains.
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It's difficult to quantify evidence during an investigation such as this. Temperature fluctuations and equipment failure can be noted. We had a number of personal experiences we feel noteworthy. Part of the reformatory's history included the death of the warden's wife. The story holds that she was accidentally shot when a gun fell off a shelf and discharged. Rumors also abound that she was "involved" with another man. Regardless, many have claimed to have had a run-in with her restless spirit. Our experience was to be met by the overwhelming scent of roses as we entered her bathroom. We even went so far as to search for a room deoderizer as it was that strong. It lasted only a moment and did not linger.
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It was about 3 a.m. and we were in the upper level of the admin building. We could hear a number of car alarms going off in the parking lot. We later asked what all the commotion was about. Apparently it's a common occurrence for the car alarms to be activated and then quiet on their own throughout the night. Still and all, a security guard is on site and makes his perfunctory rounds - and never finds a reasonable explanation.
I was commenting to my sister about the beauty of the design of the administrative offices as we walked side by side in the darkness - clearly feeling the pressure of her shoulder against mine. I suddenly heard a deep sigh. When I turned to look at her, she was at the opposite side of the room in the doorway! A cold spot seemed to enfold the right side of my body and, just as quickly as it came, it left. The shiver that overtook me was quite understandable.
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We wandered to the Chapel and found several investigators excited about a shadow figure that had been spotted. Most had set up their tripods and recording devices hoping to capture some hard evidence. We stayed for quite some time hoping for a similar experience. We only managed to share some good conversation with some veteran "hunters."
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Our last area to explore was the basement. It's interesting to note that we had several opportunities to investigate this area and, for some reason, we chose not to. Given it was the ONLY place we had not been through (and we were determined to do it ALL!) we proceeded on down the stairs. Another interesting point is that this was the only place that remained lit. It's hard to describe when you encounter an area that truly "creeps you out." Inexplicable....you can't quite put your finger on it....you don't particularly see or hear anything, but the hair is standing up on the back of your neck.
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We proceeded through the furnace room area to a series of smaller halls. We stood for a moment as if deciding which way to go (neither admitting their discomfort to the other), when the sound of running water resounded through the hall to our left. There was no subtlety to this sound. It was as loud a "WHOOSH" as I can describe. We immediately backed away and headed for the stairs - shoulder to shoulder, with a gait almost equal to a run. Breathless at the top of the stairs, we admitted what we felt. Again, hard to describe, but completely uncomfortable - even after all the dark and creepy places we had wandered through the whole night.
It was later, at our hotel room, when sis smacked me in the arm - the was no water run to the main building! The ONLY working sink and toilet are in the admittance area (keep that in mind - makes it tough when you're on the sixth tier, far west wing, and have to go potty!).
One of those things that make you go "Hmmmmmmm."
We brought our kids back the next day for the daytime tours (you must be 21 to do the overnight). It gave us an opportunity to truly appreciate the fantastic architecture.
Mansfield provided a true learning experience for us as "budding" investigators. We made so many mistakes and probably missed a number of opportunities to obtain evidence. All in all, we impressed ourselves with what we DID obtain.
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We would highly recommend anyone interested to visit the Official Mansfield Reformatory Website at http://www.mrps.org/ for the historical background of the Reformatory. It also provides all the particulars on reservations, times, rules, and regulations.
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