Newgate Prison, East Granby, CT

Welcome to Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine in East Granby, CT.

At this site, Native Americans first discovered outcropped copper. (Outcropped means "surfacing,"  or "springing up.") When the colonists arrived, seeing this, they built a mine, construction of which began in 1707.

The mine, however, was unsuccessful, and in 1773, the Connecticut General Assembly, Connecticut's state legislature, converted the site to a prison. Between 1776 and 1782, the prison was used to keep prisoners of war from the American Revolutionary War.

Now, this place is a museum. In the last picture, you can still see the copper in the rock, which turns a turquoise color when oxidized.