Preston Castle, constructed in 1894, was the administration building for the Preston School of Industry, a reform school for boys.
Preston Castle was constructed in 1894 as the administration building for the Preston School of Industry, a reform school for boys. The Romanesque Revival style of architecture was to make the building look like a school rather than a prison. The intriquing Gold Country landmark is located in Ione, near Jackson, and a couple of hours north by car from Merced.
The Castle opened in June 1894 and remained in use until 1960. In 1960, the State planned to demolish the building, and from 1960-1968 a group of local women fought to keep it standing. Eventually the State agreed to not tear the building down, but they also said they would do nothing to keep it standing. Much of the slate roof was also removed by collectors and salvage companies (hence the internal floors and walls have lots of water damage.
The building remained vacant and in disrepair until September 2001 when the Preston Castle Foundation leased the building from the State. And later, in 2014, the foundation was granted ownership of the Castle and 12.91 acres of surrounding areas.
The Preston Castle Foundation’s mission is to preserve, rehabilitate and utilize the historic Preston Castle site as well as preserving the history of the school, its staff and boys.
In 1890, the 230-acre parcel of land where the Preston Castle stands was purchased from the Ione Coal & Iron Company for $30 per acre with 100 acres donated. The land was purchased to house the Preston School of Industry, established by the State Legislature as a progressive action toward rehabilitating, rather than simply imprisoning, juvenile offenders.
Construction of the Administration Building for the Preston School of Industry started right away. The bricks for the building were made at San Quentin and Folsom prisons using sandstone that was quarried six miles from Ione. The bricks were then delivered by rail at 6,000 bricks per car. The cornerstone was laid on December 23, 1890, with 2,500 people in attendance.
The plans for the school were ambitious with the original plans showing 77 rooms on five floors. The administration building, which eventually came to be called the Preston Castle, would be the most significant example of Romanesque Revival architecture in the Mother Lode.
Discipline at the Preston School of Industry was harsh and included public lashings, starvation, and isolation. (It was considered one of the worst places for a juvenile!):
- Class captains and lieutenants: These students received shorter sentences and often beat new students to establish authority.
- Military drills: Students were required to perform military-style drills.
- Corporal punishment: The threat of corporal punishment was always present.
- Dunking baths: Boys were shaved and then put in dunking baths filled with a chemical stew to treat lice.
- Operations: Doctors performed operations on the floor before 1913.
At its peak the Preston School of Industry encompassed 1,000 acres, 750 of which were farmland. It housed 800 wards, employed a staff of 200, and utilized approximately 50 buildings.
On June 13, 1894, the first wards were accepted at the Preston School of Industry, and the school was proclaimed officially opened on July 1, 1894. The next year, electricity was installed by way of a water wheel powered dynamo, called a Pelton Wheel, for incandescent and arc lights.
The Preston School of Industry remained open until 1960 when new facilities for the school were completed. The building remained vacant and fading into disrepair until September 10, 2001, when The Preston Castle Foundation received a fifty-year lease for the property.
The Preston Castle Foundation received ownership of the Preston Castle and surrounding 12.91 acres on November 7, 2014
The Preston Castle has also been named a California State Historical Landmark (#867) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-75000422).
Former Wards
- Caryl (Carol) Chessman was 16 when first sent to Preston in 1937 for auto theft and burglary. In 1939 he was paroled, 1941 sent to San Quentin, escaped in 1943, captured in 1944, paroled again in 1947, and rearrested the same year and charged with robbery, kidnapping and rape in Los Angeles. He was the serial killer known as the “Red Light Bandit,” and in 1954, he was convicted and sent to Death Row to be executed by lethal gas. Finally on May 2, 1960, he was executed.
- Allen Smiley was the right-hand man of mobster Bugsy Seigel and was in Preston in September 1926 for First Degree Robbery.
- Eddie Anderson became an actor and played Rochester on the Jack Benny Show.
- Bill Sands became an author and founded the Seventh Step Rehabilitation Program
- Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, Aug. 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) – was brought to Preston in September 1937. By November 1937 he made his first escape. He was captured in December 1937. He escaped again and was recaptured in June 1938. He made parole in September 1939, but by January 1940 he was brought back to Preston and escaped again in April 1940. He would eventually become a successful American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and the 1960s. He also appeared in supporting roles in other films. In 1953 he played a role in “How to Marry a Millionaire.”
- Neal Leon Cassady (Feb. 8, 1926 – Feb. 4, 1968) was a major figure of the “Beat Generation” in the 1950s and psychedelic and countercultural movements of the 1960s.
- Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an American writer and political activist who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party.
- Ricardo Alonso “Pancho” González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), was an American tennis player. Gonzales was a prominent professional champion in the 1950s and 1960s, winning world professional championship tours between 1954 and 1961; he was the world number one ranked male tennis player professional between 1952 and 1961.
- Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was brought to Preston in 1953 (auto theft) and labeled incorrigible. (He had already escaped Whittier four times). At Preston he escaped within his first six months, returned, paroled (September 1954), was brought back to Preston in September 1955, paroled and returned several more times before being sent to San Quentin State Prison in 1958.
After being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960, he managed to turn his life around and launched a successful country music career.
Haunted Castle?
It has long been said that the castle is haunted and it has been investigated by a variety of ghost hunters. Several deaths occurred at the castle throughout the years, but it is believed to be haunted by the spirits of the people who once lived and worked there, including:
- Anna Corbin — The castle’s head housekeeper who was beaten to death in the basement in 1950. Her killer was never found.
- Samuel Goins — A convicted burglar who was shot and killed by a guard in 1918 while attempting to escape the castle. He is buried in the castle’s cemetery.
- Other boys — Some say the spirits of the boys who were housed at the castle as juvenile offenders and abandoned children are still present.
- Employees — Some say the spirits of a few employees who worked at the castle are still present.
Other reasons why Preston Castle is said to be haunted include:
- The castle’s harsh past, including the crude conditions in the infirmary and the 1918 flu epidemic
- An eerie feeling and gust of wind that scared one docent off in 2010
- Some say they saw shadows and orbs while touring the castle
- Some say they smelled a woman’s perfume around them while touring the castle, even though no one was wearing anything with a scent
For those hoping to experience the paranormal, overnight ghost tours are offered for $100. Basic tours are also offered almost every Saturday, plus some Tuesdays, during the months of April through December.
Guided tours are given only of the inside of the castle but includes access to the museum and safety and history videos. The cost is $15 per person. There is so much history, that it takes about 1-1 1/2 hours to cover the area that is open. A lot of the castle is unavailable, due to structure damage, but that’s where price of the tours helps with the restoration of the castle. The tours are done by volunteer docents that are very knowledgeable. It’s an easy tour, just some stairs to 2nd and basement floors. We recommend bringing a picnic and beverages (for later in the car), there isn’t any food sold at the castle and the nearest small town doesn’t offer very much. You can take bottled water with you on the tour (recommended). The area is hot, not only for ghosts, but weather wise too. There is very little shade on the castle grounds, so bring sunscreen. We mentioned that the castle is haunted – and Hollywood agrees! There were several ghost shows filmed here. In September, they host a wine tasting featuring Amador County wineries. They also do a haunted house in October.
Films and TV
- Preston Castle in Ione, California has been used as the primary filming location for several movies and TV shows, including:
- The school was used as a shooting location (as the “Bleeding Heart Orphanage”) for the 1984 comedy film “Bad Manners.”
- The 2014 “A Haunting at Preston Castle” is set at the castle and surrounding area,
- The “Apparition” (2019), A thriller starring Kevin Pollack and Mena Suvari
- 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, Episode 6.
- The facility is the subject of “The Lowe Files” (2017) The first episode of the reality TV series hosted by Rob Lowe and his sons
Directions
From CA-99 take CA-104 towards Jackson. Turn left onto Sutter Lane,and take the first left onto Palm Drive.
From CA-16, turn onto CA-124 South. In Ione turn right at Preston, right at Sutter, and left onto Palm Drive.
You can find out more information on their website: Prestoncastle.org