Preston Castle Tours
August 4 - October 6, 2012 |
You are invited for a tour of the historic Preston Castle from 10 am - 1 pm on the first and third Saturdays, and now the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, of every month, March thru October 6. No reservations are required—don't forget your camera!
The strikingly beautiful Romanesque style Preston Castle, on a hill in Ione, was actually the administration building for the Preston School of Industry, the first major attempt in California at rehabilitating, instead of just imprisoning, young offenders. Opened in 1894, the Preston School of Industry became a leader in the juvenile prison reform movement by giving convicted boys a real chance at life by educating them not only in academics, but in all of the useful trades of the time. Closed in 1960, when the Preston Youth Authority moved into a new administration building down the hill, the Preston Castle was left to deteriorate due to weather, vandalism, and general neglect. It now serves as a vacant, but vitally important landmark for Ione, Amador County, and the Motherlode. It is a California State Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. |
Website:
www.prestoncastle.com/tours.html |
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| Location Information |
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Preston Castle |
1000 (end of) Palm Drive
Ionie, CA 95640 |
| Website:
www.prestoncastle.com |
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| Contact Information |
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Preston Castle Foundation |
| Email:
info@prestoncastle.com |
| Phone:
209-256-3623 or 209-274-6357 |
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