Preston Castle

This place was soooo cool, I can’t get over the awe it made me feel! It’s spooky, mysterious, and full of history. I came here for my birthday (I’m that nerd) because anything museum like I find more appealing to do with family. The staff that sells the tickets could be nicer, I remember a snappy woman in charge. I hope this place recieved the care and funds it deserves to be preserved, everything was elegantly detailed when it was built. Wear good shoes! Lots of open holes, debris, broken wood, nails, etc.

Went on a wonderful tour of this castle/​institution. Cost is now $ 15/​person. The video wasn’t working when I was there, but our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us a fantastic tour of the building. It’s an eye-​popping 47,000 square feet, but the two top floors are unsafe for visitors. The entire place has a huge amount of damage, mostly from water and neglect. There have been efforts to restore it but the cost of restoration is so great that it can’t be done quickly. It’s touted as a reform school for boys, and by going here the boys avoided prison beginning in 1894. As is with most US history, the probable horrors these boys experienced while in this «school» are left out in the tour details. But if given the choice of this place vs. Folsom or San Quentin, I think most would have chosen here.
For those interested, the place is definitely haunted. I have the M2 app which picked up an enormous amount of activity, including male voices.

Preston Castle is one building on the campus formerly knows as Preston School of Industry. It was a prison for boys basically. The Castle was the main administrative building for the facility.
We took the tour and it was super interesting. The building these days is in pretty bad shape but they still let you see a lot of it and the back story is very interesting.
I think the coolest thing was while we were on tour we were posting pictures to Facebook and it turns out my dad (who’s in his 70’s now) was a «guest» at Preston during the 50’s! So he’s been telling me what it was like. Fascinating.
Anyway, I highly recommend the tour for any history or architecture buffs. It’s a very cool and interesting place. They also have special fundraising events like wine tastings and things so keep an eye out for those.

What an awesome tour! We visited for the Friday night tour and had a lovely experience. Kathleen and her husband were excellent guides who, along with having a wealth of knowledge about the history, made us feel really welcome and valued our presence, as well as our questions. It was equally eerie, interesting and educational, and is a great gift or experience for a history buff. I plan to take some friends up later in the year to show them the castle and book a tour.

I’m a little torn on how I feel about Preston Castle. I went on a tour during the day ($ 10). You start with a short movie in a small room that gives you a little history about the castle, how it was an alternative prison for kids but they called it a school to get away from that idea of a prison. Instead of going to San Quentin or Folsom Prison, boys were sent here.
The idea was cool. The incarcerated boys all had jobs so it was a large, self-​sufficient land with horticulture, a firehouse, farm animals, infirmary, etc. and so going here, they learn a skill and it’s a better environment (I would think) than going to San Quentin or Folsom.
But, the school was eventually closed because a newer one was built and the roof was taken off and sat for years open to nature not to mention that people were able to pillage and ravage the place. It was supposed to be a really nice place with wainscoting, hand laid tiles. Present day, you can see some remnants of what was original to the house. but not much. I wonder if people that took stuff from the house hand it down or still have it in their house knowing it’s from the kid prison in Ione.
There’s different events and tours at Preston Castle. Going is better than just learning about it through books or the internet. In that respect, that’s cool. I enjoyed going through the place and hearing it’s history and it’s nice that they have options to do night tours and overnight shit, ghost hunting, or what have you.
I wish the tour guide also went into about the Foundation that upkeeps the castle and what their plans might be, if any. They take donations and I tipped my tour guide because that’s normal to me, right? You tip your tour guide but our tour guide just gives it to the foundation. With all the tours and events that they do, what do they do with it and do they have future plans or is it just upkeep?.. I don’t know and I would have liked to know. they might get more money out of it. Right? My bad, I didn’t ask.
Going, seeing, and learning. that was cool but I wanted more. $ 10 isn’t much to pay but it kinda was. I’d be more keen on the Child’s price of $ 5 for what it was.

This year’s Halloween haunted house was fantastic! This was my grandsons first Haunted House… He was totally scared. there was one part where we were going up the stairs and around a corner, a guy dressed in a scream costume scared the crap out of him. The guy felt so bad, he took off his mask, put his arm around my grandson and told him that «its ok, Im just a guy with a mask and just remember everyone in here is just wearing makeup». I thought that was soo dang sweet! So I just wanted to say THANK YOU SCREAM GUY ON THE STAIRS! :) The food vendor KJ’s old-​fashioned dogs had excellent Polish dogs. The whole family is looking forward to next years event.

Let’s just say that yesterday I would have given this place 5 stars because I had a wonderful experience on photographers day. We had the whole place to ourselves we could go pretty much anywhere we wanted. It was great.
However, I decided to return for the Halloween ball. This is when I became sadly disappointed with the staff. First off, we paid 20 $ a ticket. That is twice the amount people pay for the haunted house mind you. So, I expected to be able to experience the haunted house portion along with an additional perk of a bar and a dance floor. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The entire castle was off limits to paying patrons. The «ball» was secluded and in the courtyard. They charged 2 $ for a can of soda 6 $ for an extreemly weak mixed drink. The dj played a mixture of the best of journey and the dougie. I was very disappointed and felt like I was back in high school. We were about 2 hours into the event when the dj announced that they had a surprise for everyone and that they would be doing tours for everyone! We all cheered as most everyone was having a pretty crappy time. Then he announced that they would be auctioning off the two tours and everyone all sighed and yelled awwwwwwnnn. Needless to say we didn’t get a tour as the highest bidders paid 500 $ for the tour. Talk about a rip off. I won’t be returning for any of their overpriced events. Lastly, the majority of the volunteers were rude, unorganized, confused and, not even dressed in costume. They, by far were the worst part of my experience.

This review is for the haunted castle.
I brought my kids ages 12 to 20. We all enjoyed the show which starts as you stand in line waiting for entry to the castle. Well costumed ghosts will walk up and down the line surprising or awkwardly staring at you. Inside the castle there are varing degrees of spooky. Some rooms are little more than dime store props while other room have actors portraying gruesome scenes.
My advice is to go, but keep in mind this is not a Hollywood production.
I would recommend to the organizers of the event to bring some presentation of the history to the inside waiting area rather than the lame dancing Skeltons. Maybe put some glow sticks in the cases where the artifacts are, so that customers can get a sense of age and history of the building. Also a video or verbal account of the murder and other frightening facts would be GREAT.

Featured in Ghost Adventures
… and Ghost Hunters! My hubby enjoys watching these shows and when the opportunity arises to visit these places in the paranormal world where EVP recorders, EMF meters, thermal cams, and ghost hunting kits have gone before we are there! LoL!
Our first visit to the institution was in April 2012. The drive from our home was about an hour and ten minutes. We love a good adventure so off we went on a random drive. They do offer tours but we arrived here on our last leg of day adventures coming from Nevada City. I believe we paid $ 5 at the time to get in for about 45-​mins of self-​guided tour.
We were able to walk through the first and second floors. We checked out each room, now just filled with remnants from the past… the doctor’s office and pharmacy room, the boys community shower room and toilet room, the kitchen where the institution housekeeper, Anna Corbin, was bludgeoned to death in the 1950’s, and the storage room where the boys held her body. There is a makeshift memorial where there is a photo of her in that room. There was an indoor pool in the property and library on the 2^nd Floor. On the second floor was also the dormitories and staff apartments, and staff dining room. We might have missed more areas to see as we only had less than an hour to do our own tour…
The property was featured in an episode of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures, the Atlantic Paranormal Society, and SyFy’s Ghost Hunters. History of the place is that the structure was built in an attempt to provide a rehab haven for juveniles who broke the laws of the time. The original watch tower still stands in the property. There is also a special cemetery, which we didn’t see, for inmates who died at Preston Castle. It is located near the institution and approximately 23 graves are on site. We’d like to come back for a night tour one of these weekends!

This review is for the Haunted Castle Tour ONLY
Drove over two hours with a group of 7 to do this tour. We were excited because of all the history and mystery surrounding this place. We were looking forward to a spooky, informative night tour and even paid $ 15 in addition to our $ 20 ticket for fast passes to cut to the front of the line… What line?
When we arrived there was hardly anyone there. Perhaps they already knew what I wish I had; this is a cheesy haunted house you can see anywhere. People were dressed in costume, chatting with you and asking about tickets one minute then staring at you in a lame attempt to scare you the next. We walked right up and started the tour. Absolutely NO historical or interesting information was given, just a rude safety talk telling you not to touch anything or you could get a splinter. The walk through was lame and predictable with people jumping out at you around every corner. It was hot and boring and even though I was with a group of really fun girls, it got boring fast. It was a major disappointment and not at all what we thought we were paying for.
Long story short: $ 35 wasted. It left me sweaty (and not in a good way) bored and needing a drink. I think the worst part though was that not a single shred of information about the history that makes this place so intriguing was shared. I can’t speak for any other tours, but definitely PASS on the «Haunted Castle».

Great tour! The castle is so imposing and great! Whether or not you are a fan of the ghost TV shows, you will enjoy the history of the place. Fun stories, famous people connections… just a great little piece of California history. Our tour lasted about one hour and it was worth every penny. My only complaint is that they need to work on cleaning up some of the mouse droppings. They are everywhere. But the place is in disrepaire so it may be hard for them to stay on top of it. Keep going people and helping them get the funds to restore this old beauty!

We had a great tour guide (Don) that made our tour. It was interesting. My teens liked it. We also went with a couple of other kids (4 & 5) and after 45 min they weren’t that interested anymore. It was a little over an hour tour. You also need to be able to go down the stairs for the tour. Not a lot of steps but it would be hard for somebody with a walker. If you like ghosts take Don’s tour. He has some interesting stories. I guess people also pay $ 150 to sleep in this place every year… no thanks!

If I could give this place 10 stars I would. I am a huge sucker for historical places that are abandoned with such amazing history! As soon as I saw the castle from a distance I was amazed and when I saw it up close it took my breath away. So that means that the two hour tour wasn’t nearly enough for me! I could literally spends hours at this castle because it is so beautiful. I took over 1,000 photos here and couldn’t be happier. Our tour guide was really kind and presented the information really well. She really took her time and answer any questions that we had.
The castle itself is AMAZING! Yes it is in rough shape but that is the beauty of it. They try and preserve it as best as they can and the hold monthly events there from wine tasting, Halloween parties, Christmas parties to the traditional weekly towers, night tours and over night tours. Day tours here are cheaper than a tour to Alcatraz and overnight tours are so worth it! I plan on doing that soon! If you are a photographer like me and a sucker for amazing historical photos I suggest you pack up your best camera equipment and start snapping away at this place! You won’t be disappointed nor at your photos. I plan on being back here soon!

We took the daytime tour of the Preston Castle («Preston School of Industry» 1894 – 1960) yesterday and were all very impressed! It is a fascinating look at a historic moment in California history when rehabilitation was the norm for youthful offenders rather than incarceration. Numerous soon-​to-​be-​famous individuals were wards at Preston in their youth — Merle Haggard (country music legend), Rory Calhoun (40’s to 80’s actor, Pancho Gonzales (one of the greatest professional tennis players), Eddie Anderson («Rochester» on the Jack Benny show), Eddie Machen (heavyweight boxer) and many others.
The wards helped make the school self-​sustaining by working in industries on the premises such as tailoring and shoe/​boot-​making (from leather they got from cows on the premises), baking, agriculture, printing, band, electrical and many others.
This is a highly recommended tour of the inside and outside of this amazing institution. It’s a California — and Federal — landmark. You will not be disappointed! And it was only $ 10 per ticket. They also have an evening flashlight tour as well as a paranormal tour if that’s your thing.
There are a significant number of stairs. If you are disabled or challenged in climbing stairs, this is not for you.

Awesome! Had a blast at the tour. Our guide was great. Even took us back in to do some EVP readings. Got one orb in all my pics! Beautiful castle. Can’t wait to go again! 10 $ for a long tour! Almost 2 hours! Saturdays only.

If you visit the Castle other than the designated tour times you won’t be able to get very close to the Castle. It is completely fenced in! The fence is set back quite a ways at least 100 feet. We’re definitely going back for a tour! The place is awesome!

I investigated Preston Castle on 4÷12÷14 with the group, the Bay Area Ghost Hunters. Based on my experiences and the EVPs collected, I believe the place is haunted! Our group had the whole Castle to ourselves from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. The docents were great guides. While the Castle is important historically, it is also an excellent place to investigate spirit activity. Others in my group reported seeing shadows and orbs; in the early evening we smelled a woman’s perfume around us several times as we toured the Castle – and no one was wearing anything with a scent! I am excited to review my digital recording to see if I captured anything. This is a definite Must-​Go!

I bought $ 80 tickets (each) for my best friend & I to go to a 9÷6÷2013 «Mediumship and Ghost Hunting Preston Castle Fund Raiser». I figured it was a good cause even if it turned out to be a dud.
To say the tour was disorganized is a gross understatement. The 3 or 4 people running the show seemed like they were trying to «take up time» with filler, and that they’d not discussed or planned ANYTHING in advance. It was drivel. It was like they thought the more time they wasted with words and blank space (while we were all standing up – no chairs — in a room) the more we’d feel like we got our $$$‘s worth? Idiots.
One of the time-​wasting tour guides DID have a story I appreciated, about a statue of Mary that had been found on the premises which she restored — although numerous remarks were made about how the broken hand which was «restored» was significantly larger than it should have been… I missed that.
There were three valuable and very desirable prizes (an added «benefit», in my mind) to be given away on a scavenger’s hunt, but there was no coordination about opening up the scavenger hunt. Therefore, some groups were told they could search, while others were told to wait, so two of the three prizes were found before our group was even told the searching had begun. We didn’t get a chance to participate in finding a single item.
The groups were beyond unorganized, the guides (with one exception) were boring as heck (to the point people started wandering off on their own). It’s too bad, because the place is a COOL place.
The night had incredible potential… but it was a *complete* waste of time and $ 160. Like I said, I’d’ve been happy to contribute the $ 160 I spent to the renovation, but was so disappointed and annoyed, I’ve changed my mind about even that.
The night (including the bizarre mishmash of snacks served, which included HUGE HUGE platters of deviled eggs (we were still experiencing summer heat and the facility had minimal electricity and NO refrigerators… probably not the smartest choice to bring for snacks…) and lots of cookies, «Would you like a deviled egg with that cookie?») would have been worth, all told, perhaps a $ 5 donation.
I feel horrible for rating them this way — especially a relatively local non-​profit. My friend and I were so excited… I was mortified she flew in from out of state and the focal point of her trip, which *I* had recommended, was a miserable flop.
If they’d pulled off even a SEMBLANCE of a worthwhile event, I’d take every out of town guest there. As it was, it’s a very cool building with the most boring, inept, and disorganized event guides or coordinators on the planet. For ME to get mad at an event like that, it has to be beyond bad. This certainly matched that descriptor.

INCREDIBLY HAUNTED!
Best experience my paranormal investigative team and I had last month!

Good boys stayed that way when they were told they would be sent to Preston School of Industry if they were bad; unreformed bad boys gained panache when they said they were sent to Preston.
This amazing Romanesque Revival building was constructed between 1890 – 94 and closed when the new facility was constructed next door. This building is a CA Registered Landmark and also a National Register Landmark.
The interior is in extreme disrepair from 50 years of neglect, and the exterior has some problems, but the tour is amazing. This building is worth saving, and perhaps if it is, the ghost that the travel channel program «Ghost Adventures» found there can rest.