Prison Tourism

Prison Tourism. . , In an attempt to heighten security, New-Gate officials built a guardhouse. The warden's quarters were in the front section of the house, and the back two sections were provided that descended to the storage, cells, and mine. , Guarding the prisoners was not an easy task and paid very little. To subsidize their income, the prison guards and officials charged fees to visitors who wanted to tour the grounds and see the underground tunnels. In 1811, the overseers recorded that no fewer than 450 people visited the prison. New-Gate curiosity continued even after the prison and mine closed. Private owners operated the site as a tourist attraction in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After a fire destroyed part of the guardhouse in 1904, the building became a dance hall where dances took place on Saturday nights throughout the early 1900s. , Newgate of Connecticut , Come to Old Newgate Prison , We furnish experienced guides, , Stop at Old Newgate Tavern, , Every child enjoys our animals, , Your girl friend will appreciate, , Most famous ruin in New England, , Oldest Copper Mine in America, , Underground dungeons and galleries, , Remember Its near Granby, Conn. , "I went a few miles out of my way to see that noted place called Newgate Prison or Simsbury Mines and I must confess that it exceeded my expectations as a place of curiosity." , Elisha Niles Diary, 1794 , Human prisoners were not the only ones confined at Old New-Gate. As a private tourist attraction in the early 20th century, the site boasted a zoo. Some of the animals on exhibit were bears and monkeys. Two monkeys managed to escape in 1933 only to be captured and returned to captivity at New-Gate. In 1949, public outrage arose over the treatment of the animals. , "The bear cage, containing two husky animals, is about eleven feet square and utterly empty except for a water trough." , The Hartford Courant, November 1, 1949