Preston School of Industry Cemetery

GPS Coordinates: 38.361098, -120.937050
County: Amador
Record count: 0

Ownership: The cemetery is owned by Preston Castle Foundation.

Directions: The cemetery is located behind the old Preston Castle, in the northeast part of Ione.

Background: Preston Castle was actually a reform school called Preston School of Industry, which began construction in 1890. It opened up in June 1894. The first minors brought here came from San Quentin State Prison.

The castle building itself was vacated in 1960, but minors were moved to other buildings located on the property. In 1999, the name was changed to Preston Youth Correctional Facility. By 2011, the Preston was closed up for good.

The cemetery is located behind the castle. It contains the remains of minors who died at the school. Officially, there are 17 recorded burials, but there are other reports of as many as 23 burials. Many died from tuberculosis, yellow fever, and the flu. Others died from addiction and drug overdoses. The School also performed its own surgeries, which may have contributed to mortality.

Documents

• Application into the National Register of Historic Places, Includes historical background about the school

External Links

• Preston Cemetery - Complete Survey, Tombstone transcription published by USGenWeb Archives