Come with us and take a tour of the old Ontario Reformatory. Photography is not permitted inside the building. Our tour guide is beyond informative, firing off a non-stop barrage of historical facts and interesting anecdotes...

http://jermalism.b...o-reformatory.html


All of the interior images were taken with my iPhone5, most of them without looking, sneakily holding it discreetly at waist level.


OR by jerm IX, on Flickr


IMG_1146 by jerm IX, on Flickr


IMG_1120 by jerm IX, on Flickr


OR by jerm IX, on Flickr


OR by jerm IX, on Flickr


IMG_1104 by jerm IX, on Flickr


IMG_1091 by jerm IX, on Flickr


IMG_1090 by jerm IX, on Flickr


OR by jerm IX, on Flickr

Awesome post and nice pics jerm!

I love how we both took the same picture, in the same cell, of the same writing on the wall without even knowing it. Great minds think alike

Very nice, jerm. Even more impressive knowing you've captured these with the hip shot technique ... lol

Thank you both very much.

Surprised no comments on the thread title.

Posted by jerm IX Thank you both very much. Surprised no comments on the thread title.

That's funny, it's the first thing that got my attention! Great song, btw.
And as usual, great pics!

This fascinating comment was posted to my Ontario Reformatory blog post a few days ago. Those of you that frequent the UER site for the history and personal connections between ourselves, the buildings and their past inhabitants, well, you'll likely find this interesting...

"As it happens, my late Grandfather was a former "tenant" at O.R.G. and wrote a poem which provides some very interesting insight on the history of the institution behind closed doors. He was sent to O.R.G. in the middle of the Depression for stealing. I've added the poem below."


Castle in the Sky

Over the hills off highway seven,

There is a castle, this side of heaven.

Was this place really meant to be?

A prison that is named O.R.G.


I wake each morn in hate and scorn,

A blue denim suit, that must be worn,

Amidst the rumbles and the keepers roar,

I wonder why that one last score.



The history of this institution,

Was heralded as society’s contribution.

Life behind bars is not a fate,

For it’s not too late to rehabilitate.



The fish ponds were built in sweat and toil,

While the farm gang, cultivated the land and soil.

The bull gang had over two hundred men,

This was the saga, a way back when.



The tower had mysteries to unfold,

Of the greatest escape, that was never told.

While down in the tunnel you heard a blast,

The King of Swing was beating an ass.



This was the epic of days gone by,

When boys became men, no time to cry.

“You may break my back”, they would say,

“But not my heart; we’re here to stay.”


George Harry McGregor

Great pics!! Ninja pics are great within you, grasshopper!! That poem is pretty poignant!!

10553 views?

I think someone is performing a ddos attack in the form of URL flooding.

Posted by Intrinsic 10553 views? I think someone is performing a ddos attack in the form of URL flooding.

Lol. I was curious about that too. But I don't know what whatever you just said means.

Posted by jerm IX But I don't know what whatever you just said means.

You're joking.

Posted by Intrinsic 10553 views? I think someone is performing a ddos attack in the form of URL flooding.

I was wondering about that too. At first I thought it was because of the thread revival a few weeks after it was active. But your point makes more sense.

The OR blog post barely got any attention and only has 1434 views as of this moment.

I wish there were people on this forum that actually wanted to share or talk about exploring instead of trolling and shit. It's actually become so negative and irrelevant that I'm bored of it.

The whole paranoid attitude of most on here (whether warranted or not) is a huge buzz kill. I've been trying to organize an exploring "vacation" for a couple of years but anytime i ask any questions about locations i get the cold shoulder or "you have to prove yourself!!' Fuck that!! I've been exploring off and on for over 20 years, i'm pretty sure i've proven myself!!

Posted by Urbanaxium The whole paranoid attitude of most on here (whether warranted or not) is a huge buzz kill. I've been trying to organize an exploring "vacation" for a couple of years but anytime i ask any questions about locations i get the cold shoulder or "you have to prove yourself!!' Fuck that!! I've been exploring off and on for over 20 years, i'm pretty sure i've proven myself!!

It's the same with nearly every hobby out there though. & its not like we're being selective on who we ask to "prove themselves". Everyone else had do it, so do you. Its pretty easy too, no hoops to jump through. Just post your photos and prove youre not some vandal asshat.

So, your options are "prove yourself" and get accepted into the community. Which will open doors for you as to locations and tips.

Or don't, and continue exploring as you have been doing on your own for 20 years.

Posted by Urbanaxium The whole paranoid attitude of most on here (whether warranted or not) is a huge buzz kill. I've been trying to organize an exploring "vacation" for a couple of years but anytime i ask any questions about locations i get the cold shoulder or "you have to prove yourself!!' Fuck that!! I've been exploring off and on for over 20 years, i'm pretty sure i've proven myself!!

Well, Your fuck you attitude has made me feel extremely helpful towards you.

I'm completely lost on this one. It's like everyyone is speaking Cantonese, I have no idea what any of this fragmented convo has to do with the Ontario Reformatory or the awesome poem written by a depression era inmate and shared by his grandson. Please people let's talk about urbex. Please.

Jerm, my apologies for getting sidetracked on your thread! You are correct! The pictures are fantastic and the poem poignant, as i posted earlier. I was just basically agreeing with you on the whole negativity and irrelevance of these kind of forums/groups lately. (and not just this one). Ricky_from_tv, i don't have a "fuck you" attitude, it's a "fuck that". I would rather share and grow our hobby versus making it a snobby, only a select few club!!

Once again Jerm...your Ninja photo skills are strong!! lol

Posted by Urbanaxium I would rather share and grow our hobby versus making it a snobby, only a select few club!!

I'm only gonna say this one thing so another one of Jerms threads doesn't turn into a huge comment war but...

I hope you realize how dangerous that can potentially be. Not everyone has the same intentions as most of us on this forum do. I've personally shown a local location to a couple of my friends (who at the time I thought were trustworthy and respectful) and they had made comments about how "cool" it would be to have a bonfire inside of it and/or cause other damage.

I think most of us here are respectful to the locations, but there are those people who never post anything and just lurk who may have bad intentions. It isn't unheard of that a place will remain dormant for years, then be blown up on social media (uer included) and within days or weeks it's sealed, security's there, or worse - demolished.

This tends to be a hobby where you have to be selective about what you share (details, locations, photos, etc.) just for the safety of the locations. The best example I can give is, if you go fishing at a really secluded lake and you catch amazing fish. Then you go home and tell some trusted friends about this lake, and they go and catch amazing fish. Then those friends go home and post details about the lake (where it is, what it's called, etc.) on social media or a fishing forum, pretty soon everyone and their dog is going to be fishing there. Soon enough there will be no fish left in the lake because it was whored out on social media. Then you can't fish there anymore, and you've inadvertently ruined it for any one else who might've known about it when it was still relativity unknown.

Shit analogy but I couldn't think of anything that would fit better.

Posted by Urbanaxium Jerm, my apologies for getting sidetracked on your thread! You are correct! The pictures are fantastic and the poem poignant, as i posted earlier. I was just basically agreeing with you on the whole negativity and irrelevance of these kind of forums/groups lately. (and not just this one). Ricky_from_tv, i don't have a "fuck you" attitude, it's a "fuck that". I would rather share and grow our hobby versus making it a snobby, only a select few club!! Once again Jerm...your Ninja photo skills are strong!! lol

Cheers, and no worries, I'm quite used to seeing my threads get derailed and spiral downward like the staircase at Hepco.


For everyone else, here's the deal: My aim going forward is only to respond to positive comments or constructive criticism or critiques. I want to enjoy UER, not sigh every time I log in.

I believe you have to ask the person (fellow explorer) if they're a narc (going to destroy property / or get you in trouble / unstable person) and they have to answer truthfully. That's the first part of exploring I've heard, and that comes from "the ancients"

Joking aside, best idea is to find people you trust. Loyalty goes far in this world, as does people that you like being around.