- MANSFIELD, Ohio: A storm has destroyed half of an oak tree that played a key role near the end of "The Shawshank Redemption." The 1994 movie was filmed in an around an old prison in Mansfield in north-central Ohio, and the tree is where Morgan Freeman's character finds money and a note left by Tim Robbins' character.
Malabar Farm State Park manager Louis Andres tells the News Journal of Mansfield that the tree was hit Friday by straight-line winds that split it down its rotted middle and took out one side. The tree is on private farmland adjacent to the park. Local convention and visitors bureau president Lee Tasseff calls the damage "tragic."
He says the oak is a sentimental stop for "Shawshank" fans drawn to the film's locations.