Old Newgate Prison & Copper Mine

Old Newgate Prison and Copper Mine. . , Copper Mine , Old New-Gate is the site of the first chartered copper mine in the North American colonies; it is a historic and physical representation of the type of commercial business that colonists needed to establish to reduce dependency on England. When the mining operation began in 1707, English law prohibited colonial mine owners from smelting copper ore (extracting copper from the rock). Instead, they were forced to ship the unprocessed ore across the Atlantic. It was a costly endeavor that slashed their profits. Over time, the costs of running the mine exceeded the revenue being generated. By the 1750s, the majority of the mining operations had ceased. , Prison , The property lay idle until 1773 when the General Assembly of colonial Connecticut voted to convert the abandoned copper mine to a secure and profitable prison, using incarceration as an alternative to fines or physical punishment such as the stocks or pillory. Prisoners were locked in the underground tunnels of the mine. Some served out their terms; many managed to escape. During the American Revolution, opponents of American independence (Loyalists) and deserters from George Washington's army also faced imprisonment here. Changes in criminal laws, especially after the turn of the 19th century, caused the prison's population to grow substantially and critics accused New-Gate of being both cruel and costly. In 1827, the state closed New-Gate Prison and moved the imprisoned men and women to a new state prison in Wethersfield, Connecticut. , Tourist Attraction , From 1830 to 1857, the Phoenix Mining Company attempted to revive the mining operation. When the endeavor failed, the site became a popular tourist attraction. Private marketing efforts focused on New-Gate's dark history while also providing numerous unrelated curiosities. The site became celebrated for its horrid dungeon, Saturday night dances, zoo animals, and more. When the state purchased the site in 1968, it purged all artifacts unrelated to the history of the prison; going forward Old New-Gate would operate as a prison museum.