Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine

A National Historic Landmark; A Copper Mine Worked From 1707 That Became In 1773 The First State Prison In The United States, With Prisoners Held In The Flooded Workings Underground Until 1827 · East Granby, Connecticut

Copper was mined on this ridge in East Granby from 1707 and the venture failed, as colonial copper ventures generally did. In 1773 the colony bought the workings and turned them into a prison, which made New-Gate the first state prison in the United States - and the arrangement was straightforward: the prisoners were lowered down a shaft and lived in the flooded, unheated tunnels underground, coming up to work. Loyalists were held here during the Revolution. It operated until 1827, when the state moved everyone to Wethersfield, and it has been a ruin and then a museum since. The surface buildings are roofless stone walls on a ridge with a long view over the Farmington valley; the mine below is reached by a stairway into cold wet workings, and it is the part people remember. Confirm the mine is open before driving, not just the site: it has been closed for stabilisation while the surface stayed accessible, and the surface alone is roofless walls on a hill. Take a warm layer whatever the day is doing, because the workings are cold and wet year round.

115 Newgate Road, East Granby, East Granby, Connecticut, 06026, United States

SEASONAL. Generally open from late spring to late autumn on a reduced weekly schedule - often weekends and selected weekdays only - and closed for the winter entirely. THE UNDERGROUND MINE HAS ITS OWN AVAILABILITY and has been closed for stabilisation while the surface site stayed open, which is a much lesser visit. The descent is by a long stair into cold wet workings. Confirm both before travelling.

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