Roseville State Prison

Roseville State Prison History

The Roseville Jail was one of two satellite facilities belonging to the old Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus (now demolished for a hockey arena); the other satellite was located in Junction City. Roseville was a minimum security work facility - usually a reward for good behavior in the state pen. The inmates had built the prison itself in 1928, the bricks even bearing the marks "convict made," and here they would work at the ovens to produce bricks for other state construction projects. Many bricks made at Roseville were marked with the letters "OBA," which stand for the Ohio Board of Administration.

A few buildings are surrounded by three guard towers, and inside is an old baseball field where the inmates would umpire for local games. Two houses that were used by the prison wardens are also nearby. The state abandoned the prison and gave the property to Muskingum County in 1966; it has been utilized for manufacturing, a haunted house, paintball arena, and a used tire storehouse since, but for the most part remained abandoned. In June 2007, it was going to be sold for $89,500, but the deal fell through.

09/2009 Update: The property seems to have been purchased and is awaiting re-development into a restaurant / recreation center. Thanks Stephanie!