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| Landmark #867 | Amador County | Visited: May 9, 2015 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | Preston Castle is open for tours! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: The “Castle,” built in 1890-1894, is the most significant example of Romanesque Revival architecture in the Mother Lode. It was built to house the Preston School of Industry, established by the State Legislature as a progressive action toward rehabilitating, rather than simply imprisoning, juvenile offenders. Doors of the 120-room “Castle” closed in 1960 after new facilities were completed.
OTHER TIDBITS: Life for the boys here was rough! On arrival, they had their heads shaved and were made to wade through a toxic cocktail of de-lousing chemicals. For the well behaved boys, there were cottages, a tennis court, a rose garden, and job training. For the badly behaved ones, there was Company B, the dark dormitory with one shared lidless toilet! Popular country singer, Merle Haggard has “PSI” tattooed on his wrist to remind him of his time at the Preston School of Industry, where he was beaten with 2x4s after he tried to escape! This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: Preston School of Industry, Waterman Rd. Plaque located 0.9 miles N of site on State Hwy 104 (P.M. 4.3) 1 mi N of lone, CA 95640 ANNOTATIONS:
From Los Angeles: ~375mi (604km) — 6.3hrs |
| When should I go? | You can take a tour any Saturday from April through September between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM! The castle is also open on select Thursdays from June through August! |
