The Horror of 1930 Ohio State Penitentiary Fire: Uncovering the Deadly Prison Disaster
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- The 1930 Ohio State Penitentiary fire was a tragic event that resulted in one of the deadliest fires in American penal history. Occurring on April 21, 1930, the fire claimed the lives of over 300 inmates and injured many others. The blaze, which started in the prison's overcrowded and poorly ventilated West Cell Block, spread rapidly due to inadequate safety measures. The tragedy brought attention to the harsh conditions within the prison system and sparked reforms in fire safety regulations and inmate housing. The Ohio State Penitentiary fire remains a somber reminder of the need for proper safety protocols and humane treatment within correctional facilities.
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As far as I’m concerned, any human being who could put a person back in a location, knowing that location is on fire, and *lock them in* before escaping, loses part of their humanity. I hope the prisoners who acted with such courage in the face of that horror had some sort of good come their way during the rest of their lives.
The prisoners throwing rocks at firefighters ?
@@gowdsake7103 You think they all did that?
if they helped keep someone from burning alive, or helped an injured person out despite the possibility of dying like that themselves?..yeah, I do wish them some resolution and peace. Not saying they all made good choices life, just that between them and the guards, the former had more humanity.
I guess it depends on what they did to get locked up in the first place. Does one brave action make up for a lifetime of violence and crime? I bet their victims wouldn't think so.
Never heard about this case…it’s terrible what happened..😢
Paul, I applaud those brave men who ran back into the fire to rescue others. May all those lost rest in peace. Wonderful and sad story.
Wow it's almost unbelievable. How cruel people can be
People can be extremely cruel and sadistic when they believe that they are doing the right thing. They become drunk with power and believe that they can do no wrong. Just look at the Nazi's. They believed they were the best and strongest race and must cleanse the world of everyone else.
I really appreciate the in-depth coverage of the history of this prison. This was an excellent video!
Wow! Thank you for covering these grizzly actions. So interesting and they way you tell the story is compelling. I could listen to you all day!
Please, look for the unsolved story of « Le Petit Gregory », “the Little Gregory” as we call him in France. The story is full of twists and turns, blackmail, murder for revenge etc. Yet, we still don’t know who killed this poor little boy…
Thank you
The movie theater built on that site is haunted. I witnessed this personally while working for the Arena Grand movie theater and Ben&Jerry's Ice cream shop.
Can honestly say this is one of thw most horrific things I've ever heard. Wish I could say I'm surprissd this happened in Ohio, but there we are. But even beofre the fire this prison was hell on earth...
Terrifying. This kind of thing happened in psychiatric asylums too, such as with the case of Zelda Fitzgerald. You cover these cases with so much compassion, thank you so much!
This episode made me realize a Well I Never collab with Fascinating Horrors would be neat.
Without efforts of this channel and a few other talented creators, so much history stands to be lost forever. Thank you for bringing stories like this back into the light. Born and raised in the Mid West, and I had never heard one word of this event. Shame on me for not actively searching for history, and shame on our pathetic education system for cherry picking taught events.
I agree. I grew up near Columbus, Ohio and had a great uncle that did time there in the 1940s, but never heard about any of this.
I suspect it's the same in most countries. In the UK my generation were never taught about how the ordinary people were treated; pregnant women harnessed to coal trucks in the mines; small kids working in clothing mills and losing fingers ........Mind you this was in the 19th century.
They definitely didn't teach this in Ohio history class
@@albertaadams4640
Nor mine either
@@Possum-Pie do what?? How can one be held responsible for something they were NOT taught while in school. I don’t know how old you are, but there was no Internet, google, Wikipedia, etc. until several years AFTER I graduated high school…before that if someone wanted to research something, they went to the library and looked through reference books while physically at the library, because they were never allowed to be checked out. Shame on YOU for being so judgmental on those that grew up in a different era than you that were not quickly able to be educated about something with a simple click on a link.
It takes a special kind of cowardice To finish locking prisoners up before you flee the fire.
Either that, or they were genuinely afraid of them escaping and being free to do as they had done before. For some, it may have been a real case of adrenalin rather than brains, though for definite, with some, it will have been sadism.
Thats evil not cowardice even if only through lack of action
Cowardice? To go back and do something before you flee to save your own life? I don't think that word means what you think it means. Seems to me those guards were terribly afraid of all the violent criminals escaping and running rampant in the town. They weren't all locked up for jaywalking, you know.
@@smittysmeee I see what you're saying but...To trap men knowing they were going to burn to death instead of letting them get out may not have been cowardice, but it WAS cruel and sadistic. Especially when some of the men were only white collar criminals. They could have let them out and done their jobs by guarding them, they had weapons and could have shot anyone trying to escape the prison grounds. Like it or not, guards aren't just there to watch over criminals, they're also there to protect them and keep them alive to serve their sentences. I have every type of federal prison in my town, and have known many guards who worked there, as the prisons are one of the main job places around in the area. Guards aren't there to judge the criminals, that had been done. The guards in this fire were just plain evil men. Sure, so were some of the prisoners, but again, the guards didn't have the right to play judge and jury (that had already happened), let alone executioners.
Oh, very nice nod to The Princess Bride. I look to use that one at any possible opportunity! With my terrible approximation of a Spanish accent. It's just more fun to say it that way!
Yeah it was morally wrong but what would have happened if they had escaped? You heard a description of what some of them had done by someone there. Then people would be outraged they had let them escape
I live in Ohio and I've frequently visited the spring Street area of Columbus, and I had no idea this happened! Thank you for sharing this horrendous story, so we might learn from it.
Sorry you have to live in Ohio
I always love your stories. Your voice is perfect for story telling. I LOVE your accent too.
I pop his compilations on to go to sleep to his voice. The bizarre tales, not ones like this though. He's got a soothing manner.
Just thought his voice was horrible for this.. could barely listen to it.. wanted the history but he is terrible.
@@paulbrasier372 Each to their own, eh? ☺
The research you do is incredible ! So many of your stories have been lost to history I'd like to personally thank you for your work not only your manner at narration ...which is flawless but your work in keeping these stories alive! Thank you! And it always shock's me how truth is so much more strange than fiction.
We cannot read a book by it's cover. Nor can we read the book by its introduction.
Rest in peace to all those lost, bless those who went back inside to help their fellows....
I agree. No matter what crime they committed to be in the prison, no human being deserves to die screaming while the flames burn you alive. That is far beyond cruel and unusual punishment. The prisoners who ran INTO the fire to rescue others are heroes. The guards who stood safely out of range were criminally responsible for the deaths of those 300+ people. I’m furious that this happened to any human being! 😢May the dead rest in peace and the guilty be judged by God. ❤
Mr Paul Brodie, the best story teller by far. His delivery is absolutely spot on every time. These videos never fail to make me say "Well I never"!
I second that!
How could the guards still lock them in a fire 🔥 it is horrendous. Great work Paul as always
Well Paul, I never...heard of this gruesome happening.
Well done!
I live 10 min from where the Ohio Pen was once located & am very familiar with this event…The blaze was, in fact, started by an inmate. However, it spread much more rapidly than anticipated. The area on Spring Street now has green space, which leads to parking & Nationwide Arena, which is the home of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. There are many businesses within the immediate vicinity, I’m sure most don’t give this story a second thought nowadays! Well done, Paul & all involved!
Thank you, Paul, for bringing this story out into the light of day. Some have not yet learned the lessons of that day, or that if you pack normally cooperative people in like sardines, they are likely as not to become less so.
Fantastic, another tale of horror, sorrow, and intrigue, Paul. Many thanks again
That was an horrendous story, and actually not surprising. USA is known for their harsh jails and sentences, some which this country would benefit from. Thank uou Paul for this, I had never heard of it.
Yeah I remember talking to a friend of mine's aunt in the late 1980s and when she was 18 years old she was an eye witness to this disaster. She said you can see the smoke from miles around and you can even smell the burning bodies.
Native Ohioan ,first time hearing this.Thank you.
What a terrible way to die.
Wonders how many arsonists there were !
@@gowdsake7103 Troll harder. It's good for the algorithm. 😉
"But if they linger in the parking lot, they may hear the sounds of lumber crackling or the faint screams of men burning alive echoing across time."
Yeah that didn't give me shivers at all! 😅
Thank you so much for this. I absolutely love the history you present on this show.
I go to Columbus every summer for a convention -- I was not aware the arena is built on the prison grounds...
The more you know!
I live in Columbus and had never heard about this! Had no idea there was ever a prison downtown, let alone that this happened there. Thanks for sharing, Paul, you’ve quickly become my favorite history/true crime channel.
You're from Columbus. I doubt you've heard of much at all.
I'm from Columbus never heard of this either....
We are one of the largest metropolitans in the midwest. What do you mean? @@DJKinney
@@Miabia1000 conservatives hate college educated people.
Excellent video! This tragedy really does throw a spotlight on how it is sometimes so easy to generalise about the "good" and the "bad" in society. I'm sure that none of the cowardly and callous guards who continued locking prisoners up ever ended up where they deserved - ie. the cells of the penitentiary where they worked. I love the photograph of the guy who became a writer, with the cat on his lap - the photographer captured a truly natural, very human moment there.
Another fascinating story Paul. Had never heard about this. Thank you. What a tragic story.
Thank you for this sad story. I was aware of the prison being there but didn't know if this story. My father made food deliverys to that penitentiary many years ago. Thanks again.
Hello Paul!!! It’s so good to see you again! What a horrible tragedy! There has been suspicious incidents at detention and prisons. Some information is scarce and sometimes is non existent. I’m so sad , that this had to happen. Blessings to you Paul! ❤️😊✝️
I grew up just a few miles from the Pen, and I remember the summer of 1984, working on the 19th floor of a building which overlooked the prison courtyards, watching a handful of prisoners everyday, still wearing the classic black and white horizontal stripes, out for their exercise. I think they were chained together, and myself and my co-workers, wondered how this could be in 1984. Looking down as though we were looking backward in time a hundred years. Those are memories I will never forget.
Paul you and your crew always do a phenomenal job on these videos keep up the phenomenal job
Thanks. Even though I'm a lifetime resident oof Columbus, I did not know about the State Pen's fire.
"Echoing across time."
That gave me chills
I lived in Columbus before the prison was torn down and drove by it many times. There was something so eerie about it. You could almost feel it.
Thanks Paul, another outstanding piece of work. Such a terrible story though, prison reform eh? Hmm 😢 $75 for utter madness feeding the chair it's "fill" and then the madness got a damn site worse..... utterly horrific. Showed who where the most humane of the bunch that's for definite. Awful.
Ohio has always been known for horrific prison conditions. The remains of the Mansfield State Reformatory were used as sets for several movies involving prisons because of their harsh visual aesthetic. You might want to cover the Cleveland Clinic fire as well. The world recognized hospital was the site of a catastrophe that shook the nation, but is now forgotten.
As an Ohio native, interesting new to me/ old history that they never taught in our Ohio history class.
Great though sad story. Just got my WIN Duelling Nuns hoodie! Great quality. Very pleased with it.
Excellent coverage of the inhumanity that prisoners no matter what their crime were treated. To think the prison system was so archaic in the last century is almost unbelievable!
Prisons have always been a horror even up to the prisons of today.
Fascinating story as always and one I’d not heard of. They may have committed crimes, some of them terrible crimes but none of them deserved for die like that. Thanks for sharing this with us
New listener from Detroit loves your voice and you really make a amazing storyteller 🎉
🤔 Ever looked into what they did to the inmates in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina? It's terrible that anyone gets locked in a cell left to die by fire or water. Not everyone in prison is a killer, rap*er or chomo.
Bloody hell this was awful! Great video as always, thank you. Would love to see a video on the tragic Hammond Circus train wreck.
Just received my hoodie “Duel between Nuns” it is so cool and the quality is great!
Just terrible, that night unveiled the true character of the men involved, from hero to coward to despicable. Thank you for your sensitive telling of this horrific tale.
Back when they decided to tear down the prison, even though it had been closed for many years at that point, there was an argument to build a memorial to these prisoners. It failed. They also tried to preserve part of the architecture, but my beloved hometown hasn't has the best track record with historic preservation.
Thanks again Mr. Brodie, stories like this should never be forgotten.
And it's good to see the like button move so fast.
What a terrible day! Paul you sure dive deep into your research don’t you! What a crime of the guards not helping releasing the locked up men. Incompetent prison warden
damn straight! I feel for the guards forced to strap people into Ole Sparky. Thanks for telling us about this injustice. I’d never heard anything about this!
Took their own lives? Yeah right.
Well I never… even heard of this. From IL. Guess the US doesn’t exactly want to put in history books…
Confining someone in a place where there is an active fire that is an imminent danger sounds an awful lot like murder. But then again, what's one less "undesireable"? :(
Yeah, they were just worthless criminals……not important like the guards……
I’m early and the story takes place in the city I now live in? What a treat to learn more about local history, as incredibly sad as it is.
I grew up in Ohio, and it’s nice to see someone going over these sad events! Even in history class, we never talked about cases like this.
thnk you for another great video Paul. The light you bring to the shocking stories makes you really think about the evolution of human morals. These things seem... shocking of how cruel people were then...
What an intriguing (albeit horrific) history lesson, Paul! 👏
Such tragic occurrences.. 🤦🏻♀️ "Death house duties" must have been extremely difficult for any normal guard.. sitting and chatting to a condemned man as he ate his last meal.. then flipping the switch! Goodnight!
How uncaring (or terrified for their own lives!) were the guards who locked up prisoners to perish in the flames!
To think the heroes in this case were the condemned! I had never heard of Chester Himes before but I have now thanks to this incredibly informative channel..
Consistently quality videos..👍Thank you, Paul..
I spent some time in an old victorian jail. Id seen footage on the news as a kid how fast one of these went up paint burning. I always made sure i had a wollen blanket a plastic bucket and 4lt of water in case of a fire. Wet the blanket push the water out of toilet. Breathe through the toilet was the only plan i could come up with to survive if the place went up in 🔥
Well I never knew about this story Paul! Thank you, although it’s very sad. I have an idea you should come to Australia and film here for a few months. There’s plenty of content for you. Thanks again for your story telling and grace. 💙🇦🇺
Sounds like the real animals were the guards who continued to lock up prisoners as the fire raged and spread
Mr ‘Well I Never’ you are such an unlikely RUclips demographic to be posting this entertaining and successful series of videos. You are a fantastic trail blazer representing conservative, English, waistcoat wearing, posh landed Gentry. (Luv from Australia)
I was born and raised in Ohio and had heard stories about the fire
But I didn't know the extent of it or the facts as you shared them. 😢 My son now lives in the greater Columbus metro area. I've driven by there numerous times.
Thank you for your channel, Paul. I greatly enjoy watching you tell such interesting and intriguing stories. I always look forward to new content because I do believe, I've watched all of your videos. I'm always looking forward to saying once again, "Well, I never." 😉
How awful, I literally sat here with my jaw hangin open for most of this episode. I can't believe I've never heard this story. I really just have no words. Just what an unbelievable absolute tragedy. God bless the heroes here; I can't even begin to fathom a word that describes the actions of these guards. This makes my heart hurt. Thank you Paul. This is one of those stories that should never be forgotten.
Also, what a talented author that young man that survived turned out to be. Chester Himes, I plan on looking him up, I'd love to read some more of his writing. Again, thank you Paul, as we all know, nobody could've delivered this story quite like you ❤
Sounds to me like it was done on purpose
I lived in the Columbus metro area for 21 years and knew downtown fairly well. I remember reading an article saying some paranormal group thinks Nationwide Arena is now haunted by the prisoners.
I'll bet that if guards were stuck in the fire the inmates wouldn't have been such "heroes." They were saving their own.
Maybe, maybe not but we’ll never know…
I’ve got to stop watching well I never when I get into bed. No matter how interesting the story is, that calm Scottish like accent knocks me out every time.
"Scottish like"? He's 100% Scottish 👍😀
😢wow. 'Well, I never' for sure!
I knew about the riot in 68 but had no clue in the 30's. Thanks for the info video. As always I appreciate your time and dedication. Still love your face and clothes. 😊
thanks for another bedtime story
We must have driven past the penitentiary hundreds of times driving to and from the bars downtown in the 1980’s….many people had hoped they would do something other than demolish it. It was a very dark place so probably for the best. Thank you for such a great telling of the story👍👍😉
Thank you a very interesting story. I'm from Virginia but I have a few kin folk in Ohio.
I worked in an Ohio prison for eight yrs, I can tell you that there are many staff members that are on the wrong side of the key.
How am I an alumni of OSU and had no idea. What the fuck
I live in Columbus. Didn't know about the fire, before my time, but before they tore the building down they made it a haunted house one year. They called it The Demon Pen. (This was in the '90's) A friend and I went.
I don't remember a whole lot, but I do recall being lead to the kitchen where witches were cooking and hitting the bars that separated us from them with huge cast iron skillets, and we were taken to see the electric chair. (Rumor was that it wasn't THE chair but who knows.)
The pen was torn down finally. Many people went down there to collect a brick for a souvenir.
They ate off rusty tin plates? Tin doesn't rust! Tsk, tsk.
When the tin wears off from being scrubbed for years the base steel rusts. Cheers.
Being from Ohio I am ashamed to say I never knew.
Oh, Paul ... 1984!!! And they left sick people there? Thank you for sharing this.
Well, I never knew about this awful incident. Nothing at all, a catastrophic event that has been forgotten by history.
You've earned my subscription
I will never understand why we can talk about mutilation of women and not bleep it out but the word "rape" we dont say, we bleep out, and avoid. It is what it is and although, yes, might be triggering, im sure hearing about carving a womans body is just as bad. To not speak the word is hiding the knowledge and awareness of it.
Interesting to me is that the guards bothered to lock the prisoners in their cells. I’ve worked in prison and other facilities over the last 40 years, most people if they are being honest will tell you that saving their own butt is more important than saving anyone else. It happened during Hurricane Katrina when healthcare workers left elderly patients to die in a nursing home. There are truly few heroes in this world. Most people just follow orders.
You should do one on the riots at the mines connected to the Brushy Mountain state pen in Tennessee.
This is a horrific example of what happens when segments of society are identified as subhuman
Wow, I've never heard of this, it's made worse knowing that back in the day there was likely many innocence among the prisoners, who were wrongly condemned or condemned for low-level offensee, however i don't believe even the guilty deserve such a slow painful death, the fear in their lingering final moments must have been palpable
The heroic acts of many of the prisoners go to show that the bad are capable of good and the loathsome actions of the guards show that the good can also be capable of bad. The guards were definitely a mix of potent evil and cowardice, even if they feared the potential of dangerous prisons escaping imprisonment, it still takes a certain amount of wickedness within a soul to be able to not only let hundreds burn to death, but for your hands to lock the doors and refuse to hand over the keys willingly, making sure they do burn to death, truly awful and shameful
I agree. Death by burning alive has to be one of the most horrific ways to die. I believe the residual effects of that night are still present even now. 😢
@@NanaBren Oh, absolutely, I couldn't agree more! I know some people think that the passage of time gives less meaning or/and shouldn't be taken too seriously or personally, but in my eyes, the effects of many disasters ripple throughout time and possibly forever. It very much affects the modern day and especially the ancestors of the people involved, just knowing that someone you are family with went through something so awful, just being aware of that can be painful for people
Yes, I can definitely affirm that some tragedies affect the survivors for their entire life. Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️
Horrific maybe in the face of death they thought their penance would be relieved somehow. But how awful
I always love your stories. History is a very important subject to understand. If we ignore it, it will keep happening essentially like insanity. Your voice and accent is perfect for story telling, very soothing. Much work goes into your content and I'm always excited to see more.
I think it's safe to say that Paul Brodie will never fail us on these stories.
Thoroughly enjoy your channel 🇦🇺👍🏼
From Ohio, thanks so much.
I could listen to you read a book of tax laws and feel soothed.
I love your videos!! You should make a video on The Bodom Murders or The Murder of Kyllikki Saari, the two most infamous unsolved cases in Finland where I'm from and that deserve more light
As someone with a family member in prison, this sort of thing terrifies me. It is so easy for criminals to be dehumanized. So often they are just people who made mistakes.
What about the victims of those criminals, were they not dehumanized as well? Most criminals have no remorse for what they have done and believe the only mistake they made was getting caught.
@@TheCrazyMoparDude68 It is actually possible to have empathy for both. I feel for the victims, as well as the hidden victims--the loved ones of the offenders. People who did nothing wrong but suffer the consequences of their loved ones actions. People who worry that their son, father, brother, will be locked in a cage and left to burn to death. You wouldn't treat an animal with such callousness. The vast majority of criminals do not deserve to be treated in such a manner.
I’m sorry, but you stated that most criminals have no remorse for their actions. I don’t believe you are in a position to judge whether most criminals are remorseful. You would have to be able to read the minds of all criminals to make a judgement like that. If you were victimized, I’m sorry, but you still don’t know how the criminals feel. Only your personal experience would determine your knowledge of the crime committed against you.
@@NanaBrenAnyone who has studied crime and/or worked in law enforcement or corrections will tell you how few criminals have remorse. That is one of the reasons why the recidivism rate is soooo high.
This was a particularly intense story. Amazing presentation, as always. I could almost smell the burning lumber.
I grew up in Columbus. Iused to drive by the old pen. I always wondered what kind of presence was left behind. Still today, with all the new buildings.
Horrifying ☹️