Season 8 in Review and a look back at the madness Esp. 419

222 Paranormal Podcast

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Music by Dead in 5, Second Season.

Ohio State Reformitory

The Ohio State Reformatory was designed by Cleveland architect Levi Scofield. Scofield designed the striking limestone building to be an uplifting, inspiring, and intimidating structure. The Reformatory was originally called the “Intermediate Penitentiary” since it accepted inmates who were too old for juvenile corrections but had committed offenses more minor than those that sent others to the Ohio State Penitentiary. The facility admitted its first inmates in 1896 after ten years of construction.

The goal of the institution was truly to “reform” and rehabilitate its inmates, who received three things during their time at OSR: religion, education, and a trade. Inmates were admitted for 18 months, and if they showed progress, they could be released after that time. If not, they received another 18 months. The model was successful and OSR had a high success rate and a low recidivism rate.

By the early 1960s, however, the state pulled its financial support from the Reform model and began converting OSR into a maximum security facility, a purpose for which it was never intended. By the 1980s, the conditions had deteriorated to the point where the inmates sued the state of Ohio. The lawsuit was successful, and construction began on a new modern facility nearby. The Reformatory was finally closed in 1990. It sat empty for several years until local activists rallied to purchase the building from the state (for $1) and committed to repairing and restoring this historic structure.

Stimson Hospital

This structure was built in 1870 as a private home. Years later, it was acquired by a dentist, Dr. William Claudius Puffenberger. Sometime around 1917, Puffenberger sold the house to Harriet Chapman, who, along with co-owners Charles Stimson & Francis R. Blanchard (both doctors), turned it into a hospital in 1918. Only a few months after the hospital opened, Dr. Blanchard stepped into an open elevator door and fell to his death down the shaft.

A few years later, on August 17, 1922, Dr. Puffenberger committed suicide at the age of 45 by shooting himself.

AuGlaize Village

AuGlaize Village was founded in 1966 by the Defiance County Historical Society. The society received 40 acres and the big red barn in 1966 from the Mansfield Family. An additional 80 acres was later added. In 1975, the Society decided it best to turn over the museum complex to the people of Defiance in hopes that the County Commissioners would be able to get grants and assistance that a small 501c3 would not be able to get on their own. The Defiance County Historical Society operates the Auglaize Village through a Maintenance & Use Agreement for the Defiance County Commissioners.

55 plus years later, AuGlaize Village is still going strong drawing people from the tri-state area for its activities and festivals. But our world has changed. People are busier than ever and volunteers are hard to recruit. The locally owned factories are a thing of the past in Defiance and so AuGlaize Village must change with the times. We are always looking for Tuesday volunteers and people willing to work in the office with the collection as well as Event Volunteers. We are willing to train! Please contact us if you are interested.