The Ohio State Reformatory MRPS

What The Ohio State Reformatory MRPS does

The Ohio State Reformatory Preservation Society (MRPS) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization that operates a 250,000-square-foot historic former prison in Mansfield, Ohio as a multi-product tourist attraction. The society's primary mission is the preservation of the 1896 Ohio State Reformatory, a Romanesque sandstone landmark that gained cultural prominence as the primary filming location for The Shawshank Redemption (1994), the highest-rated film on IMDb. The organization serves tourists, film and pop culture enthusiasts, paranormal interest groups, history educators, and event planners, offering guided tours, themed Shawshank experiences, escape rooms, paranormal investigation programs, and venue rentals across multiple historic spaces including the Central Guard Room, East Diagonal, Warden's Dining Room, and Reformatory Lawn.

MRPS operates a diversified product portfolio layered on a single physical asset. Core offerings include guided historical tours, the Shawshank Experience, paranormal programs, escape rooms, and virtual tours for remote visitors. The organization hosts a calendar of annual events including Blood Prison (Halloween haunted house), INKCarceration (tattoo and music festival), ParaPsyCon (paranormal convention), Shawshank Hustle, and High Wall Cruise In. Ancillary revenue lines include the Scofield Cafe, Hancock Heights on-site lodging, a physical and online museum store, an annual membership program (family and individual tiers), and the Blood Prison Shakedown Podcast.

The business model is direct-to-consumer with multi-stream revenue: one-time ticket sales, recurring memberships, event-based revenue, venue rental fees, retail merchandise, and charitable donations including the Isaac Webb Memorial Scholarship program. Ticketing and reservations are processed through the Peek booking platform integrated into the mrps.org website. MRPS is a founding member of the Shawshank Trail regional tourism initiative and partners with Destination Mansfield/Richland County for regional promotion. The organization employs 19 staff and is governed by a board of directors; no private equity, institutional investor, or parent company ownership is indicated.

Name

The Ohio State Reformatory MRPS

Legal name

The Ohio State Reformatory Preservation Society

Website

https://ohiostatereformatory.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ohio State Reformatory Preservation Society (MRPS) is a nonprofit organization operating a 1896 historic prison in Mansfield, Ohio as a tourist attraction, serving tourists, film enthusiasts, paranormal hobbyists, and event planners through guided tours, escape rooms, paranormal programs, annual events, venue rentals, lodging, and retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Tourism and Historic Attractions

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Historic Home Renovation & Preservation (HSAPAEAG)

Keywords

• Historic preservation services
• Heritage tourism attractions
• Film tourism experiences
• Haunted house attractions
• Escape room entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Mansfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from guided tours, escape rooms, paranormal programs, and special experiences. Visitors purchase tickets through the Peek booking platform on the website.
2. Memberships: Annual membership programs offering benefits to supporters of the preservation mission. Includes family and individual membership tiers.
3. Event Revenue: Major ticketed events including Blood Prison Haunted House, ParaPsyCon, INKCarceration Festival, Shawshank Hustle, and High Wall Cruise In.
4. Venue Rentals: Rental of historic spaces including Central Guard Room, East Diagonal, Warden's Dining Room, and Reformatory Lawn for private events, photo/video shoots, and corporate functions.
5. Retail/Merchandise: Museum store sales including gifts for film buffs, ghost hunters, and history lovers. Both physical store and online shop available.
6. Donations and Support: Charitable donations from supporters of the historic preservation mission. Includes Isaac Webb Memorial Scholarship program.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ohio State Reformatory Preservation Society (MRPS) operates a historic 250,000 square foot former prison in Mansfield, Ohio as a heritage tourism attraction. It sells guided tours, themed film-site experiences tied to The Shawshank Redemption, escape rooms, paranormal investigation programs, and virtual tours, alongside annual ticketed events such as the Blood Prison Haunted House, INKCarceration Festival, ParaPsyCon, and Shawshank Hustle. Revenue is supplemented by venue and photo/video rentals, an on-site museum store, Scofield Cafe, Hancock Heights lodging, and a membership/donation program supporting preservation.

Product overview

The Ohio State Reformatory Preservation Society operates a historic tourist attraction in Mansfield, Ohio. The organization offers a diverse portfolio of experiences organized around its 250,000 square foot preserved prison facility. Core tour products include guided tours of the entire reformatory, Shawshank Experience tours (filming location of The Shawshank Redemption), paranormal programs, and escape rooms. The venue hosts seasonal events including the Blood Prison Haunted House, INKCarceration Tattoo and Music Festival, and ParaPsyCon. Additional offerings include virtual tours for remote visitors, venue rentals for events and productions, a museum store, membership program, on-site lodging at Hancock Heights, and the Scofield Cafe. The society also supports educational initiatives through its Isaac Webb Memorial Scholarship and conducts community outreach via the OSR Outreach Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blood Prison: Annual haunted house attraction held at The Ohio State Reformatory during the Halloween season.
• INKCarceration
• ParaPsyCon
• Shawshank Hustle
• High Wall Cruise In
• Blood Prison Shakedown Podcast
• Hancock Heights at OSR
• Scofield Cafe

Products and services

• Guided Tours Comprehensive tours of the entire 250,000 square foot Ohio State Reformatory facility covering its history, Hollywood connections, and paranormal activity, for general visitors and tourists.
• Shawshank Experience Guided tours following in the footsteps of Andy and Red through the filming site of The Shawshank Redemption, designed for film enthusiasts and pop-culture visitors.
• Paranormal Programs Ghost hunting and paranormal investigation experiences held inside the historic prison, targeting paranormal enthusiasts seeking documented supernatural encounters.
• Escape Rooms Interactive escape room experiences built inside the historic prison facility, aimed at groups and thrill-seeking visitors.
• Virtual Tours Online remote digital exploration of the Ohio State Reformatory, allowing visitors unable to travel to experience the historic site.
• Blood Prison Haunted House Annual Halloween haunted house attraction staged at the Ohio State Reformatory, selling seasonal tickets to general visitors and thrill seekers.
• INKCarceration Tattoo and Music Festival Annual multi-day tattoo and live music festival hosted on the reformatory grounds, with ticketed admission for music and tattoo-culture audiences.
• ParaPsyCon Annual paranormal and psychology convention hosted at the reformatory, selling tickets to paranormal enthusiasts and convention attendees.
• Shawshank Hustle Annual themed event celebrating The Shawshank Redemption film, with ticketed participation for fans and visitors.
• High Wall Cruise In Annual automotive event held on the reformatory grounds, with ticketed attendance for car enthusiasts.
• Venue Rentals Rental of historic indoor and outdoor spaces including the Central Guard Room, East Diagonal, Warden's Dining Room, and Reformatory Lawn for private events, weddings, corporate functions, and photo/video productions.
• Photo and Video Rentals Location rental services for professional photography and videography projects inside the historic reformatory.
• Museum Store On-site and online retail store selling merchandise aimed at film buffs, ghost hunters, and history enthusiasts.
• Membership Program Annual family and individual memberships supporting the preservation mission, offering benefits such as free admission and exclusive access for repeat visitors.
• Hancock Heights at OSR On-site lodging accommodations at the reformatory for overnight visitors.
• Scofield Cafe On-site cafe at the reformatory serving food and beverages to visitors during their visit.
• Annual Gala Annual ticketed fundraising gala supporting the preservation society's mission.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Destination MansfieldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism partnership with Destination Mansfield/Richland County for regional tourism promotion. MRPS is featured on the Destination Mansfield platform with promotional imagery.
• Shawshank TrailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of the Shawshank Trail initiative connecting filming locations from The Shawshank Redemption movie. Collaborative tourism effort promoting the regional film tourism circuit.
• Peek Booking PlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party ticketing and reservation technology provider powering online ticket sales, tour bookings, and experience reservations through the mrps.org website.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Biltmore Estate: America's largest privately-owned historic house attraction in Asheville, NC, with tours, events, lodging, dining, and retail. Comparable as a heritage-tourism operator that monetizes a preserved historic property via tours, venue rentals, hospitality, and events at scale.

Emerging players

• Salem Witch Museum: Heritage attraction in Salem, MA offering themed historical exhibits and seasonal programming tied to a famous historic site. Comparable as a heritage site operator that augments historical tours with themed, event-driven experiences to extend visitation.

Direct peers

• Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site: Philadelphia-based nonprofit operating a preserved 19th-century prison as a heritage attraction with tours, art installations, and seasonal events. Closest direct comparable: a historic penitentiary turned tourism destination with diverse ticketed experiences and museum retail.
• West Virginia Penitentiary: Moundsville, WV attraction offering historic tours, haunted/paranormal experiences, and special events inside a Gothic-style former prison. Highly comparable prison-heritage operator with overlapping tour + paranormal + event monetization.
• Missouri State Penitentiary Museum: Jefferson City, MO nonprofit operating tours, ghost hunts, and events inside a former state prison. Directly comparable prison-heritage attraction with paranormal programming, escape-style experiences, and event-driven revenue.
• Alcatraz Island (National Park Service / Alcatraz Cruises): Iconic historic prison turned national park site offering guided tours, audio tours, and overnight programs. Highly comparable as a high-profile heritage prison attraction with strong film/pop-culture halo and ticketed experiences.
• Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine: Connecticut's 18th-century colonial prison preserved as a museum and historic site offering guided tours. Comparable as a smaller-scale historic prison museum that monetizes guided visitation and heritage programming.
• Idaho State Penitentiary Museum: Boise site offering historic tours of a former territorial prison with themed holiday and paranormal events. Comparable heritage prison attraction with similar tour/event mix.

Regional players

• Cedar Point: Major Ohio amusement park operator in Sandusky. Comparable as a regional Ohio-based attraction operator driving seasonal visitation and event-driven revenue, though a much larger-scale entertainment incumbent.
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland, Ohio nonprofit heritage attraction with ticketed exhibits, retail, events, and strong pop-culture halo. Comparable as an Ohio-based cultural-heritage attraction that monetizes via admissions, retail, and signature events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-ohio-state-reformatory-mrps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Ohio State Reformatory MRPS