Buckeye Getaway

My husband was born in Ohio. Though he only lived there through his early elementary years, he identifies himself by being from Ohio. He is a huge fan of the baseball team formally known as the Cleveland Indians. (We don't use the G-word in our home unless we have to.) He is also a huge Ohio State fan and one of his favorite movies was filmed at his birthplace - Mansfield, Ohio.

As often as he could, he would escape the heat of the South during his birthday week in July and head to the somewhat cooler air in Ohio. He still has a lot of family that lives there and he really loves being there in the summer.

After we had been dating a couple of years, we decided it was time for me to see his birthplace and meet some of his relatives. We were planning to stay with his aunt and uncle and I was greatly looking forward to the local offerings and things to do.

One was going to Amish country in Holmes County. I've been very fascinated by the Amish way of life for years but I've never made it to a place where Amish lived. It was as great as I thought it would be, except that the Amish don't like to be photographed, which was difficult for a photographer like me. I often say that I'll shoot anything that moves and a lot of what doesn't. I had to restrain myself a lot that day.

However, I loved seeing the Amish town and eating some of the foods they are known for. Their baby Swiss cheese, in particular, was something I wish I could have at home. I spent the majority of my spending money on this type of cheese.

Other days we visited Lake Erie, saw a very tall Percheron horse at a petting zoo, ate fresh yellow perch at Jolly Roger Seafood House, went to Columbus Zoo, saw one of my favorite musicals, "Next to Normal," in a neighboring city, and attended an Ox Roast where we ate fresh, very buttered corn on the cob. We would stop to take photos of anything interesting on the various trips.

Oh yeah - we also visited his family.

But the highlight of the trip was getting to see the place where "The Shawshank Redemption" was filmed in Mansfield, Ohio, where my husband was born. Originally known as the Intermediate Penitentiary and later renamed as the Ohio State Reformatory, it has now become a museum and the building is a historic site.

The Mighty Google sums up its history by saying, "The Ohio State Reformatory, or Mansfield Reformatory, was  a historic prison built between 1886 and 1910 to rehabilitate young through a combination of skills training, education, and religion, but later became a maximum-security facility and was closed in 1990 due to a lawsuit over inhumane conditions. After its closure and a threatened demolition, the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society worked to save the building, which has since become a popular museum and filming location for movies like 'The Shawshank Redemption.'" 

When you drive up, you see the historic building's front in its entirety. It looks absolutely nothing like a prison would normally look, as it was designed as a French chateau. The prison cells were attached to the main building with a wing on either side. A new, modern prison facility has replaced the Ohio State Reformatory where the former prison yard used to be.

We first explored the museum area where there are displays chronicling an inmate's experience. It was fascinating to see some of the actual items prisoners used in the past, like a tattoo gun. Then we went on to the areas where "The Shawshank Redemption" was filmed. We saw some of the prominent items featured in the movie, like the wall safe, the warden's desk, Brooks' room, as well as other props.

I loved every bit of that area, as a fellow lover of the movie, but as a photographer, what I really couldn't wait for was to see the actual prison. I knew that its age would make it beautiful in a haunting way... and I was right.

I could have spent a whole day just shooting the prison itself. The lines from the cells' bars made interesting photos, as did the rust, patina and peeling paint. After thoroughly exploring this area, we made it to the chapel, solitary confinement cells, and the showers. 

As we departed, we took numerous photos of the exterior of the main building from various angles. We also spent time during the rest of our stay to see some of the other locations where the movie was filmed. 

By the time we headed home, I joined my then-boyfriend/now-husband in his love of Ohio.

                                   (First two images are by Travis Frontz, all others are by Tracy Riggs Frontz)

      

       

      

       

A selection of the images above are available to order as custom prints, fulfilled by a professional lab, at https://NovelPhotos.Instaproofs.com.

If you have any questions, email NovelPhotos@yahoo.com.

If you don’t have time to order today, feel free to take a business card and order later using the middle QR code. The photos will be under “Trussville Library Gallery.”

If you have any questions, email us at NovelPhotos@yahoo.com.

If you want any hand-signed, get in touch with us before ordering. We can direct you to a gallery that doesn't have our digital signatures on them and we can work out what works best for you to get the signature you want.

To order a signed copy of Tracy’s book: Behind the Lens of a Storyteller – My Journey as a Photographer/Writer, go to https://NovelPhotos.instaproofs.com/BehindtheLens Note that shipping is included – be sure to use the coupon code “SHIPPINGINCLUDED.”

Do you need a highly experienced, budget-friendly photographer for your family or business?

 Go to https://NovelPhotos.com to see our work. Use the “Contact Us” page or email us at NovelPhotos@yahoo.com to find out how we can meet your photography needs.