Ohio Penitentiary

Ohio Penitentiary Ohio prison operating from 1834 to 1984 This article is about the demolished prison in Columbus, Ohio. For the current prison in Youngstown, see Ohio State Penitentiary. | | | Location | Bounded by W Spring St. (to the south), Neil Ave. (west), West St. (east), W Nationwide Blvd. (north) | | | Status | Demolished | | Population | 5,235(as of 1955) | | Opened | 1834 | | Closed | 1984 | | City | Columbus | | County | Franklin | | State/province | Ohio | | Country | United States | | Notable prisoners | | John Hunt Morgan, Bugs Moran, O. Henry, Chester Himes, Sam Sheppard | Ohio Penitentiary The Ohio Penitentiary, also known as the Ohio State Penitentiary, was a prison operated from 1834 to 1984 in downtown Columbus, Ohio, in what is now known as the Arena District. The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813, but as the state's population grew the earlier facility was not able to handle the number of prisoners sent to it by the courts. When the penitentiary first opened in 1834, not all of the buildings were completed. The prison housed 5,235 prisoners at its peak in 1955.