Preston School of Industry
Encyclopedia
The Preston School of Industry, also known as Preston Castle, is one of the oldest and best-known reform school
s in the United States
. It is located in Ione, California
, in Amador County
.
The institution was opened in June 1894 when seven ward
s (minors under the gaurdianship of the state, can be but not necessarily juvenile offenders), were transferred there from San Quentin State Prison
. The original building, known colloquially as "Preston Castle" (or simply "The Castle"), is the most significant example of Romanesque Revival architecture
in the Mother Lode
. It was vacated in 1960, shortly after new buildings had been constructed to replace it. The abandoned building has since been named a California Historical Landmark
(#867) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(NPS-75000422).
The facility's name has often been used in movies and also television programs, such as Dragnet
. In 1999, the institution's official name was changed to the "Preston Youth Correctional Facility", but most people in the state — especially those who reside in the immediate area — continue to refer to it by its original name.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
announced on October 21, 2010, that the Preston Youth Correctional Facility will be closing. On June 2, 2011, Preston held its official closing ceremony. Former staff, correctional officers, correctional counselors, and the public were invited to celebrate Preston's last day open as a correctional facility.
The building is open to tours for the public and it is maintained by the Preston Castle Foundation.
The property was featured in an episode of the Travel Channel
's Ghost Adventures
with Zak Bagans, the The Atlantic Paranormal Society
team of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson on SyFy
's paranormal show Ghost Hunters
, and Cartoon Network
's The Othersiders
.
Reform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in Ione, California
Ione, California
Ione is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 7,918 at the 2010 census, up from 7,129 at the 2000 census. Once known as "Bed-Bug" and "Freeze Out," Ione was an important supply center on the main road to the Mother Lode and Southern Mines during the California Gold...
, in Amador County
Amador County, California
Amador County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,091. The county seat is Jackson.Amador County bills itself as "The Heart of the Mother Lode" and lies within the Gold Country...
.
The institution was opened in June 1894 when seven ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
s (minors under the gaurdianship of the state, can be but not necessarily juvenile offenders), were transferred there from San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
. The original building, known colloquially as "Preston Castle" (or simply "The Castle"), is the most significant example of Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
in the Mother Lode
Gold Country
Gold Country is a region in the central and northeastern part of California, United States. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines that attracted waves of immigrants, known as the 49ers, during the 1849 California Gold Rush.-Geography:State Route 49 was built through the Gold Country,...
. It was vacated in 1960, shortly after new buildings had been constructed to replace it. The abandoned building has since been named a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
(#867) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NPS-75000422).
The facility's name has often been used in movies and also television programs, such as Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
. In 1999, the institution's official name was changed to the "Preston Youth Correctional Facility", but most people in the state — especially those who reside in the immediate area — continue to refer to it by its original name.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. CDC&R is the second largest law enforcement or police agency in the United States behind the New York City Police Department which employs approximately...
announced on October 21, 2010, that the Preston Youth Correctional Facility will be closing. On June 2, 2011, Preston held its official closing ceremony. Former staff, correctional officers, correctional counselors, and the public were invited to celebrate Preston's last day open as a correctional facility.
The building is open to tours for the public and it is maintained by the Preston Castle Foundation.
Paranormal
It is claimed that the building is haunted, both by former wards as well as the spirit of a housekeeper, Anna Corbin, who was supposedly bludgeoned to death there in the 1950's.The property was featured in an episode of the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
's Ghost Adventures
Ghost Adventures
Ghost Adventures is a weekly American paranormal television series that premiered on October 17, 2008 on the Travel Channel. Currently produced by MY-Tupelo Entertainment , the program follows and stars ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin, as they investigate locations that are...
with Zak Bagans, the The Atlantic Paranormal Society
Taps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...
team of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson on SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
's paranormal show Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
, and Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's The Othersiders
The Othersiders
The Othersiders is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on June 17, 2009 on the Cartoon Network. The program follows a group of five teenagers who are interested in the paranormal and explore reportedly haunted sites to discover any paranormal activity. Aimed for a teen...
.
Former Wards
Former Preston wards include:- Eddie AndersonEddie Anderson (comedian)Edmund Lincoln Anderson , also known as Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, was an American comedian and actor. His most famous role was that of Rochester van Jones, valet of Jack Benny, on his radio and television shows.-Early life:Anderson was born in Oakland, California...
, best known for his role as "Rochester" in Jack BennyJack BennyJack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
's radio and television programs. - Ernest Booth, discovered by H. L. MenckenH. L. MenckenHenry Louis "H. L." Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the...
, who published his stories in The American MercuryThe American MercuryThe American Mercury was an American magazine published from 1924 to 1981. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured writing by some of the most important writers in the United States through the 1920s and 1930s...
; he wrote a successful autobiography, Stealing Through Life; a novel, With Sirens Screaming; and a number of scenarios and screenplays, including Ladies of the MobLadies of the MobLadies of the Mob was a silent film directed by William Wellman, produced by Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph Zukor for Famous Players-Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.-Production:The film is based on a story by Ernest Booth...
(1928) and Ladies of the Big House (1931). - Rory CalhounRory CalhounRory Calhoun was an American television and film actor, screenwriter and producer, best known for his roles in Westerns.-Early life:...
, who was known as Francis McCown when he was a Preston ward in the late 1930s. - Don JordanDon JordanDon Jordan was a boxer born in Los Angeles, California and was the undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World from 1958 to 1960. His nickname was ‘Geronimo’...
, joined a boxing program at Preston and went on to become world welterweight champion by defeating Virgil AkinsVirgil AkinsVirgil Akins was an American boxer who won the undisputed Welterweight Championship of the World in 1958. Nicknamed ‘Honeybear’, Akins was the first World Champion boxer from St. Louis.-Career:...
. - Heavyweight boxer Eddie MachenEddie MachenEdward Mills Machen was born in Redding, California, on June 15, 1932. Machen was a convict turned boxer. His 64-bout career began on March 22, 1955, and he went on to win his first 24 bouts....
graduated from Preston's boxing program and went on to fight such boxers as Ingemar JohanssonIngemar JohanssonJens Ingemar Johansson was a Swedish boxer and former heavyweight champion of the world. Johansson was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the United States. In 1959 he defeated Floyd Patterson by TKO in the third round, after flooring Patterson seven times in that round, to win the World...
, Sonny ListonSonny ListonCharles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
, Floyd PattersonFloyd PattersonFloyd Patterson was an American heavyweight boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by...
, and Joe FrazierJoe FrazierJoseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
. - Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
marked his time at Preston with a "PSoI" tattoo; his school file noted that he "likes to sing and play the guitar." - Tennis great Pancho GonzalesPancho GonzalesRicardo Alonso González , generally known as Richard "Pancho" Gonzales was an American tennis player. He was the world no. 1 professional tennis player for an unequalled eight years in the 1950s and early 1960s...
honed his skills on the Preston School's tennis court shortly before turning professional and has been rated by some experts as the greatest player of all time. - Neal CassadyNeal CassadyNeal Leon Cassady was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic movement of the 1960s. He served as the model for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road....
discovered literature in the Preston School library and later was at the very center of the Beat MovementBeat generationThe Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
. He was the "N.C." of Allen GinsbergAllen GinsbergIrwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
's "HowlHowl"Howl" is a poem written by Allen Ginsberg in 1955 and published as part of his 1956 collection of poetry titled Howl and Other Poems. The poem is considered to be one of the great works of the Beat Generation, along with Jack Kerouac's On the Road and William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch...
" and the model for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack KerouacJack KerouacJean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
's On the RoadOn the RoadOn the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957. It is a largely autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. It is often considered a defining work of...
. Cassady drove Ken KeseyKen KeseyKenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
and his band of Merry Pranksters on the bus named "Further" and later drove bus for the Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
. - Bill Sands wrote a best-selling autobiography, My Shadow Ran Fast, and founded the Seventh Step prisoner rehabilitation program.
- Phil Thatcher became active in prison ministry, penned an autobiography, Under Arrest, and was granted a full pardon by Governor Earl WarrenEarl WarrenEarl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
. - Tony Cornero made his fortune as a rumrunnerRum-runningRum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
during ProhibitionProhibition in the United StatesProhibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
and later built the Stardust Resort & CasinoStardust Resort & CasinoThe Stardust Resort & Casino was a casino resort located on along the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada.The Stardust opened in 1958, although most of the modern casino complex was built in 1991. At its March 13, 2007 demolition it was the youngest undamaged high-rise building to ever be...
in Las VegasLas Vegas metropolitan areaThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. - Caryl ChessmanCaryl ChessmanCaryl Whittier Chessman was a convicted robber and rapist who gained fame as a death row inmate in California. Chessman's case attracted worldwide attention, and as a result he became a cause célèbre for the movement to ban capital punishment.-Crime and conviction:Born in St...
became a celebrity author while on Death Row in the 1950s. - Ray D. Johnson escaped from Preston twice and later became the first maximum security prisoner to escape from Folsom State PrisonFolsom State PrisonFolsom State Prison is a California State Prison located in the city of Folsom, California, northeast from the state capital of Sacramento. Opened in 1880, Folsom is the second-oldest prison in the state of California after San Quentin and was the first in the country to have electricity...
. He wrote an autobioraphy, Too Dangerous to be at Large. - Joseph Paul CretzerJoseph Paul CretzerJoseph Paul Cretzer was an American bank robber and prisoner at Alcatraz who participated in and was slain in the bloody "Battle of Alcatraz" which took place following a failed escape attempt between May 2 and May 4, 1946.-Criminal career:Cretzer started his criminal...
led the bloodiest and most notorious attempted escape from Alcatraz IslandAlcatraz IslandAlcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
. The "Battle of Alcatraz" resulted in the deaths of two guards and three inmates, including Cretzer. - Eddie Bunker became a successful author and actor, writing books like "Animal Factory" and "No Beast So Fierce," as well as appearing in films like "Reservoir Dogs," "The Running Man," and "Tango & Cash."
- Keeny Teran former bantamweight contender from the 1950's. Keeny learned to fight at Preston.
