Mansfield’s rich history and attractions offer families a unique travel experience
By Greg Seiter // Photography submitted by Desitnation Mansfield
“Get busy living or get busy dying” may not be the uplifting, inspirational motto people would choose to promote the city of Mansfield, Ohio, but it certainly applies when describing all there is to see, do and experience in the area. And those words were more than enough to motivate fictional character Andy Dufresne — played by Tim Robbins, to push through difficult times in what has proven to be one of the most beloved movies of all time, “The Shawshank Redemption.”
However, like it or not, the quote, also endorsed by movie co-star Morgan Freeman, who played Ellis “Red” Redding, will always be connected to the area because the movie was filmed at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield — guilty by association.
As Mansfield residents and movie buffs celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Shawshank’s release, they also realize the area has a rich history and an abundance of attractions to offer visitors.
Settlers first came to Mansfield in the early 1800s and because it was located on a ridge by a large spring on the edge of frontier land, the new settlers were subject to frequent Native American attacks. Now, with the area having a rich Native American history, there are celebrations during July and September at the Great Mohican Indian Pow Wow.
Like many other areas, Mansfield and its surroundings quickly grew thanks to the arrival of the railroad in the 1850s. After the Civil War, Mansfield became an industrial city that produced buggies, steel, steam tractors, stoves, pumps, and later, major appliances.
Over the years, Richland County, of which Mansfield is a part, has been home to many famous people. For example, John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, lived and traveled around the area for some time planting apple trees. Richland County native Jedediah Smith helped pioneer the Santa Fe Trail, and the father of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, Senator John Sherman, studied law in Mansfield. Former resident Charles Follis is now recognized in Canton, Ohio’s Pro Football Hall of Fame as the first Black professional football player.
The area has also produced several writers, including historian Paul Angle. But perhaps the most famous is Pulitzer Prize winner Louis Bromfield, who made his home at Malabar Farm, where his close friend, actor Humphrey Bogart, married Lauren Bacall.
Today, Mansfield is roughly halfway between Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio — about a four-hour drive from Indianapolis, and is in a part of Richland County that is comprised of charming communities that boast small-town uniqueness. The city is overflowing with simple eateries, specialty shops, antique dealers and wineries.Mansfield has received the City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and features a revitalized downtown area thanks in part to its Carrousel District and the historic Renaissance Theater. The Carrousel District, home to Richland Carrousel Park and Little Buckeye Children’s Museum, features the first, hand-carved wooden carrousel built and operated in the United States since the 1930s. It includes 52 animals that circle an operational Stinson Band Organ.
The Malabar Farm State Park, where visitors come to experience Bromfield’s 900-acre country estate and offers family-friendly events throughout the year, including the Maple Syrup Festival held each March, spring plowing days in April, year-round barn dances, the Ohio Heritage Days Festival every September, and Candlelight Holiday Tours in December. Farm-fresh products, opportunities for home tours, farm-wagon rides and even animal encounters can also be experienced there.
Yet, it’s hard to ignore Mansfield’s Hollywood connection where Robbins, Freeman and Shawshank are the focal point. The Ohio State Reformatory, a castle-like structure, was an actual prison designed for young offenders that was abandoned in 1990. Parts of the 1997 movie “Air Force One” were also filmed there. Facility tours are offered during certain times of the year, and visitors to the area can also enjoy The Shawshank Trail — a self–guided driving tour past several of the movie’s filming sites with eleven of those spots in Mansfield.
Those wanting to tour the Ohio State Reformatory will want to plan it around the Halloween season. From Sept. 27 through Nov. 2, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the facility transitions into Ohio’s premier haunted house attraction, Blood Prison.
Mansfield is also somewhat of a hotbed for paranormal sightings and unexplained experiences. In fact, television’s “Ghost Hunters” and others have investigated various spots there. Maybe ghosts of the past are lingering because ever since its humble beginnings, from settlers to modern day actors, Mansfield has represented hope. It was for Dufresne.
“Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
