Entry No. 4 — the Sacramento file — filed under: reform school
Preston Castle
Built in 1894 to look like a school rather than a prison, this Romanesque pile once held 800 boys at a time as California's reform school for juvenile offenders — Merle Haggard and Eldridge Cleaver both did time here — before it closed and sat half-collapsed for decades. Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters have both filmed inside, and the nonprofit that now owns the building runs actual overnight paranormal investigations through its empty dormitory wings.
The story
In 1894, the State of California raised a massive Romanesque sandstone-and-brick castle above the foothill town of Ione, intentionally built to look like an elite boarding school rather than what it actually was: an involuntary state reformatory. At its height, the Preston School of Industry held up to 800 boys at a time behind its imposing walls. Among the thousands of wards processed through its dormitories over the decades were future country music icon Merle Haggard and Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver.
When the state eventually decommissioned the castle site, the sprawling building sat abandoned for decades, yielding to dry rot, roof collapses, and Mother Lode weather. Its decaying, cavernous interior eventually caught the eye of paranormal television crews—including episodes of Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters—turning the decaying reformatory into one of Northern California's most famous eerie landmarks.
Today, the property is managed by the nonprofit Preston Castle Foundation, which is actively working to stabilize the surviving structure. Rather than sealing off the empty dormitory wings and crumbling infirmary, the foundation uses the building's lingering, unrestored atmosphere to fund its preservation, opening the historic wards to historical tours and late-night access.
What it's like
Stepping inside means navigating an active restoration site filled with peeling paint, bare brickwork, and drafty corridors. Depending on when you book, you might walk through on a self-guided daytime historic tour, join a dusk flashlight walk, or spend the late hours on an 18+ public paranormal investigation tracking signals with EMF meters in the old infirmary. Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and dress for atmospheric exposure, as large portions of the unheated structure remain in raw disrepair. Autumn visits bring dense local crowds for their seasonal Halloween haunted house.
The move: Take the sunset flashlight tour through the abandoned wards, then book a public paranormal investigation (18+) with EMF meters in the old infirmary.
- 📍 Ione, Amador County
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 900 Palm Drive, Ione, CA 95640
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Keystone Mine — Pair the decay of California's 1894 juvenile reformatory with a seven-mile drive to this 1853 Mother Lode gold mining claim.
- Knight Foundry — Balance the hollow ruins of Ione with a visit to the last water-powered machine shop in the country, operating less than eight miles away in Sutter Creek.
- Loved To Death on Main — Follow up the state reform school's somber institutional legacy with a trip up to Placerville to browse diaphonized specimens and curio cabinets.
Good to know
Who were some of the notable people held at Preston Castle?
Country singer Merle Haggard and author/activist Eldridge Cleaver both spent time as wards at the Preston School of Industry during their youth.
Are you allowed to investigate the castle for ghosts?
Yes. The Preston Castle Foundation hosts official public paranormal investigations (ages 18 and up) that allow visitors inside the dormitories and infirmary with ghost-hunting gear.
Is Preston Castle fully restored?
No. The building remains in a state of ongoing disrepair and partial restoration maintained by a nonprofit foundation.
What tour options exist besides nighttime ghost hunts?
The foundation offers daytime self-guided tours, guided historic tours, sunset flashlight tours, and seasonal Halloween haunt events.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-20