The 172 acres that became Osborn MetroPark were once owned by Arah Osborn, a veteran of the War of 1812 who bought the land in 1836. Upon his death the property passed to his son, John and then to his grandson, Myron. Myron never married and when he died in 1932 he willed the land to the State of Ohio.
Although Myron hoped that the densely wooded area would be designated as a park, the state used it as a minimum-security prison farm for 60 to 70 inmates. The men worked the land, grew a variety of vegetables and raised hogs. (Video: Don and Bea Everett, Kidnapping Attempt, 2020)
The last known escapee from the honor farm to be captured was Frank Freshwaters, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 1957. He escaped from the Osborn Prison Farm in 1959, and was finally apprehended in 2015. After serving a short time in prison he was released on parole in 2016.The Frost Center at Osborn Park was used as a dormitory when the area was a prison farm. The Osborn Prison Farm closed in 1973, due to the increasing number of prisoners who were escaping and the expansion of residential development in the area.The Erie County Commissioners bought the property in 1974, where they built a county-owned nursing home and developed the Osborn Recreation Area. Today, the park is known as Osborn MetroPark, complete with shelters, playgrounds, tennis and pickleball courts, trails and more.Myron D. Osborn was a well known farmer in west Huron Township who lived on his family's farm his entire life. He died on November 6, 1932, after a lengthy illness. His funeral was held on the Osborn farm and was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Sandusky.
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