2018 05 17 Mohican. 05-18 05-23. Adventure Bound Camp, Van Buren, OH, and Toledo Area

Loudonville, Ohio - 17 May 2018

 Last day at Mohican State Park. Several rain showers has raised the creek several inches but the trees have almost completely leafed out. 

Mohican State Park has pull-through sites but they are right off the main road. Our site was shaded but a little short for both the RV and the truck to be parked.

Van Buren, Ohio, Adventure Bound Campgrounds - 17 May 2018

Bob completed installation of fold away clothes dryer that Kristen and Dave had given me a couple years ago. I have always like to dry clothes on a line outside but campgrounds do not allow lines as hazards to people walking around, children playing and damage to the trees. Bob attached the wooden rack to a TV wall mount so it swings back into the basement for storing.

19 May 2018 - Time to celebrate on a BIG slide.
They don't make them like this any more. The Van Buren State Park was right next to the campgrounds.

 Toledo, Ohio - 23 May 2018

Toledo is not more than 30 minutes away so before leaving we took a day trip to the Botanical Garden. 

An 1837 cabin built for an American fur trader and wartime scout, Peter Navarre, who was instrumental in Commadore Oliver Hazard Perry's victory over the British at the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812, near what today is Put-in-Bay. He lead 70 Kentucky sharpshooters through British and Indian lines to reinforce Perry's forces before Parry and his ships cast off to engage the enemy. 

A woodpecker (right) continued to hang around in a tree in front of the cabin leading us to suspect a nest in one of the trunk holes. A lovely grouping of white iris.

The running stream had become clogged with silt and the sides were washing away. Dredging of the creek bed allows the water to flow more freely while the addition of the rocks slows the flow and increases the oxygen in the water. 

We saw many examples of things we had planted at our house in Ohio, like this wysteria in front of a stone wall garden feature.

Pretty purple blooms hang from the vines that have wrapped around the wooden pergola. I am watching a dozen or more carpenter bees digging holes in the wooden supports.

We always wish there were more labels for the specimens that we cannot identify like this heavily blooming shrub. 

Perspective #1 of tree sculpture.

Perspective #2 of tree sculpture.

This is the beech section. From afar, the dark leaves reminded us of a King Crimson maple so we were surprised to find several different beech trees.  

Under story azalea bushes. 

Lunch at the local diner - 23 May 2018

Established 1948, Schmucker's (not Smucker's, that's in Orrville, OH) serves classic comfort food and over 20 kinds of home-made pie. Family owned and operated, the fried chicken and tenders were thinly coated and fried golden outside and juicy inside. The creamy, graham cracker crust, strawberry cheesecake was delicious and the Dutch apple pie was full of not-too-tart apples.

Menu with the street sign that is still outside in the parking lot. 

The Historic Church of St. Patrick

Cornerstone laid in 1892 and the first mass was celebrated on Christmas, 1900. The challenge was to find laborers in the Irish community who were busy constructing the Miami and Erie Canals and were more interested in saloons than churches. When we arrived just before 3pm, we found the doors locked. There were some volunteers at the Food Pantry who volunteered to give us the "5 minute" tour. One of the first things we learned was that the steeple has been hit four times by lightning, all causing some degree of damage. The strike on 9 Sep 1980 destroyed the 240 foot steeple and falling debris damaged the roof and other portions of the structure. In 2006, Parishioner Margaret Tank, a local teacher who seemed almost destitute after she retired, bequeathed funds at her death in the amount of 6.5 million dollars for the steeple reconstruction and other upgrades, including the sanctuary's organ.   

St. Patrick's is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the United States. The exterior is constructed of Amherst blue sandstone and the interior contains 10 red granite columns. 

From the Choir. The three altar pieces are hand-carved oak. The interior has an ornamental groined ceiling supported by ten soft red granite columns, 22 feet high with richly carved capitals of white marble. 

The pulpit with it's fan. Very unique.

All of the stained glass windows were created by a New York firm in 1898. This transept window, one of six, are 14 feet wide by 40 feet high. 

New outside shatter-proof coverings replaced the plexiglass that had yellowed and turned cloudy reducing the amount of light coming through the windows. The new coverings are clear to maximize the light but still protects the windows from damage. 

From the altar toward the Choir with the organ's pipes on the back wall.

The terrazzo floor inlaid with shamrocks. Our guides were so gracious and that 5 minute tour ended up being more like 30 minutes. We also found out that one of them is the official bell ringer for Sunday mass. Before we left, they encouraged us to make a visit to...  

Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral

While it may not have the history of St. Patrick's, the Cathedral is as extraordinary, just in a different way. 

This is the only Spanish Plateresque style Church in the United States. Ground was broken in 1925 and the building was structurally complete in 1931 but interior decoration and dedication wasn't finished until October 1940. 

The exterior is covered in Massachusetts granite and Indiana limestone. The cathedral is 285 feet long and 215 feet wide. The bell towers reach 96 feet high and each contains a bell cast in the famed Gillett and Johnston Foundry of Croydon, England. That is me standing in front of the doors craning my neck to see all the carvings surrounding the European cypress doors. The Children's Rose Window above the doors was donated by the children of the Diocese through a "penny campaign" and depicts scenes from the life of Mary.

The front door has a statue of Mary over the center, Peter to the left and Paul to the right. Additional statutes of Saints are incorporated in the multilayered arches surrounding the door.

The bell tower sides are open and while I waited for Bob several small hawks flew into the lower windows seemingly to feed their chicks while a Peregrine falcon perched on the top. The side doors also have various statues of Saints carved in the archways.

Interior from the back looking towards the altar. The main aisle frescos painted on the ceilings depict 28 Old Testament prophets and kings. Above the sanctuary is the sacrifice of Jesus that established the New testament. 

The Crucifix above the altar is made of European walnut with the figure of Jesus caved from a 250 year old bleached oak. It is 8 feet wide and 12 feet long. Enclosed in the cross is a letter written by the wood craftsmen of the August Schmidt Studio which was not discovered until late in 1990 when the cross was refurbished. 

The Children's Rose Window has an image of Mary and Jesus in the center with scenes from Mary's life. Arching over the Rose Window the mural depicts the Creation from the book of Genesis. 

One of several Confessionals crafted of Wisconsin oak. Each door is decorated with a biblical scene of repentance and mercy. 

The pulpit is carved of white oak from the Black Forest of Germany and is highlighted with delicate carvings. In the canopy are sculptures of four Latin Doctors of the Church, Saints Gregory, Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose and St. John the Evangelist. 

One of four side doors.

The stained glass windows are made of Norman Slab and English Antique Glass. They were crafted by the Angelo Pitassi Studio of Pittsburgh, PA. The large panels depict the various "orders" of the church, for example St. Peter - the Papacy; St. Vincent de Paul - Priesthood; St. Roch - the Laity; St. Joseph - Workers, etc. The interior walls are covered with limestone quarried in Domremy, France. Lining the nave below the large windows are shields that bear the titles of shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary throughout the world.

The side aisle ceiling frescoes depict the mysteries of the Rosary and were painted by Jan de Rosen. Each panel is divided and displays the New Testament event and a related old Testament event. 

Close up of a ceiling fresco, designed by Felix Lieftuchter, a native of Cincinnati, and rising 83 feet above the floor. 

The intricately carved marble Baptismal Font is octagonal, a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ on the "Eighth Day," and has suspended above it a forged aluminum cover, embossed with numerous Christian symbols. It is crowned with a statue of John the Baptist. A system of weights and pulleys allow the 130 pound cover to be easily raised with one hand. 

The baldachino, a canopy of honor commonly placed over the altar, consists of various marble types. It now highlights the baptismal font located beneath it.

Most of the information presented was detailed in the Self-Guided Tour brochures we picked up at each location. These pictures and descriptions do not do justice to the incredible architecture, paintings and carvings. The Rosary Cathedral is very grand in scale, intimidating in some respects, and is certainly capable of taking your breath away. The more intimate interior of St. Patrick's Church is so astounding and its history and "rough around the edges" neighborhood it feels more personally alive as a parish church. 

2018 05 15 Ohio State Reformatory

Mansfield, Ohio - 15 May 2018
Go to Facebook for a few fun movies.

The entrance to the Administrative Building and cell blocks.

The plaque explains why the architect and the State of Ohio designed what today would be considered a ridiculously extravagant cost for incarcerated prisoners. Initially, the Reformatory was designed to encourage young offenders to turn their lives around, improve their futures by learning a trade and reduce recidivism.

Rehabilitation included classroom education for earning a GED, workshops and learning trades plus was self-sufficient in producing its own electricity and much of its own food.

The current remaining buildings have been used in many movies and TV shows. The most popular movies were The Shawshank Redemption, Air Force One and Tango and Cash. Many TV shows include 101 Things to do Before You Die, several music videos, Scariest Places on Earth, Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures and Real Scary Stories.  

This gate was used in Air Force One as the exit the Russian Prison. The bars on the windows were also left and if you look at the right side you will see they are attached to small wooden slats. What you can't see is that the bars themselves are made of wood. Not very secure for a prison but this is the back of the Administration building.

Old Sparky, the control panel and the phone connected to the Governor's office. These items are from the time when the Reformatory no longer tried to reform anyone and was a maximum security prison. 

Couple of guys walking around really seemed to know their way around because Bob and I sometimes had trouble locating the Tour route. 

I think Bob was not getting along with this guy.

This room was used as the Parole Board room in the Shawshank Redemption. Pretty fancy with the stained glass windows. The paper on the table was the dialogue between Morgan Freeman's character, Red, and the Board members. 

Most of the Administrative rooms had decorative upper transom windows while the warden family rooms did not. 

Hm. Well, this is odd. A staircase to nowhere. No hidden doors and trap door stairs here. 

Besides the educational opportunities, all 1900 inmates where originally required to attend religious services. They were non-denominational until the population grew too large to be accommodated in this one room. This became the Catholic Chapel. Other religions met in other areas. 

Another artifact left from the filming of Air Force One, a Russian Orthodox icon poster. 

Several of the original painted plaster Stations of the Cross from the Chapel are set in a cabinet which is good because there were several broken windows that had let a few pigeons inside. 

Just entering the East Cell Block area. This is the guards' area leading to the cells. Clearly this space could use a coat of paint.   

This is one side of the East Cell Block. The wall on the left is the outside wall. The cell block is 6 stories high and is the only free standing steel cell block in the world, meaning it is not attached directly to any outside walls. This is where most of the paranormal activity has been noticed. Lights flashing (which happened while we were there), doors slamming, footsteps heard walking in front of the cells, shadows looking down from the catwalks, voices of inmates and one warden's wife who was tragically killed when she dropped a loaded gun which discharged striking her in the lung.    

Another design feature are the fancy interior pillars and archways. All this unusual architecture was to inspire the inmates to uplift themselves and turn away from their sinful lifestyles.   

Most of the day was spent in classes or working so the cells were small and spare. The front building is currently being revitalized but the cell blocks, chapel, hospital and library have not had any work done in them. 

This cell gives you any idea how little room was available for 2 people. 

Between the front and back cells is another catwalk used to access the utilities and listen to the conversations of the inmates.

Most the the bedstands were spring wires. This looks more torturous as those slats are solid metal even with the added strings to keep the mattress from sagging between the slats.

The bump-outs behind me on the right is part of the heating system. But the further down to the bottom floor we went the colder it got. I was definitely glad I was wearing long pants but wished I had long sleeves. 

In the hospital, we found one of the jail birds flying around due to broken windows. 

The West Cell Block guard stairway. There were fewer guards as more inmate self-regulation. They could even vote out a cellmate if 3 of the 4 had problems.

The cell blocks were made by professional metal workers but the fancy decorations were created in the metalworking shop. 

Bob found this guy coming out of the Solitary Confinement area. 

This cell was specially created and painted (brown and orange) for a Cleveland Browns football player who was incarcerated for drug possession. 

More leftover posters (Stalin and Lenin) from Air Force One. 

The warden and I were talking about the use of local Ohio commodities like the floor and wall tiles in the residential areas. Some of the furniture was built in the woodworking shop.

We enjoyed our tour and learned a lot of things about late 19th Century rehabilitation efforts. The Ohio State Reformatory opened its doors in September 1896. After housing over 155,000 men in its lifetime, the doors to the prison closed December 31, 1990. Today this historic site receives visitors from all over the world including tourists, movie buffs, thrill seekers and paranormal investigators. The Halloween event renames the Reformatory as Blood Prison. Monsters and the criminally insane roam freely hunting for guests who they can make one of their own.

The Reformatory is considered the most haunted place in the country. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by for a tour or schedule your next meeting, conference, trade show or event at this unique venue. It offers spacious rooms, guided tours and inclusive accommodations. If that's your thing, I would recommend a personal inspection of those accommodations.