Our Trip to Mansfield/Ashland OH

We had a great trip to Mansfield and Ashland Ohio. We went Sunday to old Victorian era "cottages". Brownella Cottage and Oak Hill Cottage. They were both unique in their architecture and also in the fact that both transferred to the historical societies with their contents intact. Brownella Cottage was the home of a bishop who married into a rich family. His mother-in-law built the cottage for them. He was later thrown out of the church because he read about and believed that communism was how society should live. After he and his wife died the house sat with all the furnishings for 40 years until the historic society took it over. There are claims that the cottage is haunted by the bishop. While on the tour we left the bishops bedroom to go to another room and when we left the fan that was in his room fell over!

This is the front of Brownella Cottage. It was named for Bishop Brown and his wife Ella - Brownella.

This is the carriage house. It is now the museum and ticket area.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house so these are pictures of some pre-civil war quilts that were in the museum area.

This is an old fashion Victorian dress.

Oak Hill Cottage was the home of a doctor and his 5 daughters. The youngest daughter lived there until the 70s when she willed it to the city with all contents. It was very run down and the preservation is still going on. On Monday, we went to the Ohio Reformatory. It was really neat place to visit. It would be interesting to go on the ghost tour but they are all sold out for the year. We took a ton of pictures but only going to post a few here.

This is the outside of the Reformatory. It was completed in 1869.

Sign in prison

East Wing from bottom row of cells. The cells are back to back with a walk way in between that had electric and plumbing. The guards could turn off the cells water or electric as a form of punishment.

Spiral staircase at the end of the East Cell Block. The tour information said that this is the tallest free standing metal structure and that it is in the Guiness Book of World Records.

This is looking down the East Cell Block from about the fourth level of cells.

This is a typical East Block Cell.

These are the older cells in the West Block, these are made of masonry and steel. Not complete steel structure like the East Block and the cells were smaller.

This is the tunnel prop from Shawshank Redemption.

This is the boarding room prop from Shawshank Redemption. This is were Brooks hung himself and also were Red stayed when he was released from prison.

This is an X that appears in the hallway of four symmetrical rooms. As long as there is light coming in through the windows of all four rooms the X will appear.

We stopped at Grandpa's Cheese barn on the way out of town. I picked up some bread and butter pickles. Didn't get cheese because we didn't have a cooler to put it in and we still had to go to the Reformatory.

This was a little Amish shop outside Grandpa's. I bought a couple of baskets from there. You can see the buggy in the picture. We saw quite a few horse and buggies while we were in the area. I have finished the binding on Doris' quilt. I will post some pictures of it tomorrow.