The Preston School of Industry, also known as Preston Castle, was a reform school located in Ione, California, in Amador County.[3] It was proposed by, and ultimately named after, state senator Edward Myers Preston.[4] The cornerstone was laid in December 1890, and the institution was opened in June 1894 when seven wards (minors under the guardianship of the state, but not necessarily juvenile offenders) were transferred there from San Quentin State Prison. It is considered one of the oldest and best-known reform schools in the United States.
Preston School and Director C.B. Riddick in 1900
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.[1] 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 (#867),[1] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-75000422).[3] A National Register listing encompassing most of the historic facility was approved in 2024.[5]
In 1999, the institution's official name, applied to the newer 1960 buildings, was changed to the "Preston Youth Correctional Facility".
As of 2024, Preston Castle remains in considerable disrepair, and efforts to restore Preston Castle are underway. The Preston Castle Foundation, which purchased the castle for $1 from the state in 2014, is overseeing the restoration work. It could be many years before Preston Castle is fully restored, and it is estimated that the full cost of repairs could be as much as $45 million.[7]
In popular culture
The school was used as a shooting location (as the "Bleeding Heart Orphanage") for the 1984 comedy film Bad Manners.
The 2014 film A Haunting at Preston Castle is set at the castle and surrounding area, as is the 2019 movie Apparition.
Correctional facilities for delinquent children in the United States
This list template only include federal, state, federal district, and/or territorial facilities for post-trial long-term confinement (often referred to as "treatment"), of six months or more, of delinquent children adjudicated (convicted in a juvenile court) into federal, state, federal district, and/or territorial custody. This does not include federal, state, federal district, and/or territorial facilities for children convicted in adult courts (youth sentenced as adults).
Note: the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) receives juveniles from Native American territories where federal law is enforced. They are held in facilities separate from those of adults. Unlike adults sentenced in District of Columbia courts, juveniles sentenced in DC juvenile courts are sent to facilities operated by DC itself, while adults and those sentenced as adults are sent to BOP facilities.
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