--- title: "Preston Castle | Arnold Haven" description: "Preston Castle from Arnold: the 1894 reform school above Ione, its history, and the volunteer-run day and evening tours." lang: en json-ld: --- [Skip to content](#main-content) [![](/__l5e/assets-v1/84bf9984-9cf8-406b-aaf5-dbde0a9f8c6a/arnold-haven-mark-white.png)Arnold Haven Arnold · California ](/) [Cabins](/cabins)[Explore](/explore)[Guides](/guides)[Membership](/circle)[Support](/chalet-bruin-future)[Merch](/merch)[Book a stay](/cabins) ![Preston Castle](/assets/preston-castle-exterior-CtQQwmmW.jpg) Explore Arnold # Preston Castle An 1894 Romanesque reform school on a hill above Ione — one of the largest surviving brick buildings of its era in California, opened for daytime and after-dark tours by the volunteers restoring it. An hour and a quarter from the cabins. [Check availability](/cabins)[See the cabins](/cabins) First things first ## First things first Preston Castle is not a castle. It was the Preston School of Industry, built in 1894 as a progressive alternative to prison for boys — a huge, ornate brick building with 43 rooms of arches, tilework and tall windows, which by the 1960s had been abandoned to weather and vandals. It sits above Ione in Amador County, about an hour and a quarter from Chalet Bruin and Koda Loft. A volunteer foundation has been stabilising it for decades and funds the work through tours, which is the only way to get inside. ![A large abandoned red-brick Romanesque building with a bell tower on a dry grassy hill](/assets/preston-castle-exterior-CtQQwmmW.jpg) Geography ## Where Preston Castle sits ![Illustrated antique-style map of California inside the United States with a gold marker on Preston Castle above Ione](/assets/preston-castle-1-UFieRw.jpg) Illustrated locator map — for orientation, not navigation. Built in 1894 as the Preston School of Industry, this Romanesque Revival brick building is one of the largest of its era left standing in California. A volunteer foundation runs day and evening tours to fund an ongoing restoration; the building is otherwise closed. About an hour and a quarter from both cabins. Region Western edge of the Sierra foothills, above the Ione valley County Amador County Elevation About 300 ft Nearest town Ione Getting there Highway 49 north, then west towards Ione; inside access only on a booked tour 02 ## The building, and its history Architecturally it is remarkable: Romanesque Revival on an institutional scale, with a bell tower, arcaded galleries and a grand staircase, all built with brick made on site. Walking it gives you a very direct sense of what a Victorian idea of reforming children looked like in practice — dormitories, workshops, a chapel and a punishment wing under one roof. The history is genuinely grim in places, including the 1950 murder of the housekeeper in the basement, which is the story most of the ghost tours are built around. The foundation tells it as history rather than as spectacle, which is the better way round. ![A large abandoned red-brick Romanesque building with a bell tower on a dry grassy hill](/assets/preston-castle-exterior-CtQQwmmW.jpg) ![A derelict brick corridor with arched doorways, peeling plaster and dusty light](/assets/preston-castle-hall-DTCumc4g.jpg) 03 ## Tours, and what to expect Day tours run on selected weekends, generally spring through autumn, and evening and paranormal-investigation events run on their own schedule. It is an active restoration site: uneven floors, dust, no heating or cooling, and closed-toe shoes required. Not suitable for very young children. Everything here is check before you go — dates, ticket sales and which parts of the building are open change with the restoration work and the weather. Tickets sell out for the after-dark events well ahead. 04 ## Where to stay near Preston Castle Ione has limited lodging. Both cabins are about an hour and a quarter away in Arnold with a kitchen, a hot tub and the pines, and a Preston Castle day pairs well with Sutter Creek, Jackson or the Amador wine country on the way back. - [CHALET BRUIN — 12 guests, 5 bedrooms→ ](/cabins/chalet-bruin) - [KODA LOFT — 4 guests, 2 bedrooms→ ](/cabins/koda-loft) Nearby ## Keep exploring [ ![Sutter Creek](/assets/sutter-creek-street-DXUSnj5G.jpg) ### Sutter Creek Twenty-five minutes east: the prettiest main street in Amador County, and lunch. Discover ↗ ](/explore/sutter-creek-ca) [ ![Amador wine country](/assets/amador-vineyard-CBe3Qukk.jpg) ### Amador wine country Half an hour on: old-vine zinfandel in the Shenandoah Valley. Discover ↗ ](/explore/amador-wine-country) [ ![Jackson](/assets/jackson-headframe-CXEu7KVI.jpg) ### Jackson Twenty minutes east, with the deep-mine headframe and the tailing wheels. Discover ↗ ](/explore/jackson-ca) Good to know ## Frequently asked questions How far is Preston Castle from Arnold? + About an hour and a quarter — Highway 4 to Angels Camp, Highway 49 north, then west towards Ione. Can you go inside? + Only on a tour. The volunteer foundation runs day tours on selected weekends and separate evening events, and the ticket money funds the restoration. Is it suitable for children? + Not for very young ones. It is an active restoration site with uneven floors and no climate control, and closed-toe shoes are required. Are the ghost tours real investigations? + The foundation runs after-dark and paranormal-investigation events with the history told straight. They sell out well ahead — check the current schedule. ![](/__l5e/assets-v1/84bf9984-9cf8-406b-aaf5-dbde0a9f8c6a/arnold-haven-mark-white.png) Arnold Haven Cabin stays in Arnold, California — minutes from Calaveras Big Trees State Park, White Pines Lake and Bear Valley. 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