The Preston School of Industry, also known as Preston Castle, was a

reform school A reform school was a penal institution, generally for teenagers mainly operating between 1830 and 1900. In the United Kingdom and its colonies reformatories commonly called reform schools were set up from 1854 onwards for youngsters who were ...

located in Ione, California, in Amador County. It was proposed by, and ultimately named after, state senator

Edward Myers Preston Edward is an English language, English given name. It is derived from the Old English, Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements ''wikt:ead#Old English, ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and ''wikt:weard#Old English, weard'' "gua ...

. The cornerstone was laid in December 1890, and the institution was opened in June 1894 when seven

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

s (minors under the guardianship of the state, but not necessarily juvenile offenders), were transferred there from

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...

. It is considered one of the oldest and best-known reform schools in the United States. Preston School and Director C

The original building, known colloquially as "Preston Castle" (or simply "The Castle"), is the most significant example of

Romanesque Revival architecture Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

in the Mother Lode. This building was vacated in 1960, shortly after new buildings had been constructed to replace it, and has since been named a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

(#867), and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NPS-75000422). In 1982, the building was partly used as The Bleeding Heart Orphanage in the movie ''

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, ''Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at their most popular during the early 1980 ...

'', released in 1984. In 1999, the institution's official name, applied to the newer 1960 buildings, was changed to the "Preston Youth Correctional Facility". In 2010, the

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the penal law enforcement agency of the government of California responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. Its headquarters are in Sacrame ...

announced that the facility was to close, and a closing ceremony was held on June 2, 2011.

In popular culture

In 1982, the building was partly used as "The Bleeding Heart Orphanage" in the movie ''Bad Manners'', released in 1984. The 2014 film ''

A Haunting at Preston Castle A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name ...

'' is set at the castle and surrounding area, as is the 2019 movi
''Apparition''
The first episode of season 2 of the TV series ''Ghost Adventures'' is about Preston Castle. ''Ghost Hunters'' investigated the castle's paranormal reports in

season 6 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

, episode 6. The facility is the subject of ''The Lowe Files'' Season 1, Episode 1: "Haunted Boy's Reformatory".

Former wards

Former Preston wards include: Preston Castle (Ione)

References

External links

Photos of Preston Castle by Angelica R. Jackson, 2007-present

Preston Castle Foundation home page
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Amador County, California California Historical Landmarks Defunct prisons in California Romanesque Revival architecture in California School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California Unused buildings in California Tourist attractions in Amador County, California National Register of Historic Places in Amador County, California 1890 establishments in California

In popular culture

Former wards

References

Further reading

External links