This Halloween season, I wanted to do something new and unique. Something that would give me a good fright but also leave me with some lasting memories. I have been to countless amusement park horror nights and wanted something different. After careful consideration of other, less advertised horror attractions, we came across the historical landmark, Preston Castle in Ione, California. Since 2011 the castle has hosted Halloween haunt events where they dress the castle up to be extra spooky. They allow the general public to walk through it. While the castle was not frightening in the typical Halloween sense, I would recommend it to those seeking a unique and fun haunted tour.
The History of Preston Castle
Preston Castle opened in 1894 as the main administrative building for the Preston School of Industry to reform troubled boys. Juvenile boys and boys with no other family were sent to the school to learn a trade to better their future rather than being sent to a prison or left on the streets. The school sits on 230 acres which allowed it to be self-sufficient in its running years. By being self-sufficient, the boys could learn farming trades such as growing food and raising animals. Along with farming, boys could learn to work in a print shop, bakery, and a shoe shop. The main goal was to rehabilitate the boys while teaching them skills they can use after their discharge from the school. Still, history paints a different story. A story of abuse, abandonment and the overall mistreatment of vulnerable boys.
What piqued my group’s interest in this place was both the roman style architecture and its alleged haunting. Both Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters TV shows featured an episode about Preston Castle. People who worked in or on the castle have reported hearing doors slam, objects falling and otherworldly voices. The ghostly reports started coming in shortly after deaths began accruing at the school. According to the Travel Channel, 18 people in total died while attending the school. Two of those deaths were confirmed to be unnatural, violent deaths. Samuel Goins was the first to die in a violent manner. A prison guard shot Goins when he attempted to escape the grounds. The second violent death was the head housekeeper Anna Corbin. Corbin was murdered in the basement of the castle; her killer never to be found.
The Preston School of Industry closed down in 1960 where the government planned to demolish the buildings, however locals from Ione fought to keep it standing. While the group succeeded, the government stopped taking care of the castle. Preston Castle was left abandoned until 2001 when the Preston Castle Foundation was formed. The government allowed the foundation to lease the building from them with the stipulation they had to take care of it. Finally, in 2014, the state gave the foundation full ownership along with only 13 out of the original 230 of the surrounding acres. Since 2001 the Preston Castle Foundation has slowly been restoring the castle to its former glory, where in 2011 they started the haunted tours.
![The Preston Castle glowing red](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_0713.jpg?resize=480%2C640&ssl=1)
The hAunt
We drove to the castle for the Halloween tour. One of the first things I noticed driving into the small town of Ione was this looming structure on a hill. The Castle lights glowed blood red, which sent a chill in our car miles before we even arrived at the destination. As we approached the castle, the courtyard area was full of food vendors where you could get tacos, ice cream, coffee and much more.
Scattered amongst the growing crowd of visitors was the bloodied butcher, enraged maid, and my personal favorite, the half eaten hunter. They preyed on crowd members who were not paying any attention. People distracted by their phones kept me entertained because the spooky hunter would run up and jump scare them. The maid would even take photos with you if you asked which just added to the fun. All this entertainment was provided while we waited in anticipation to get inside.
When we first entered the castle, a video started playing. The video mentioned some of the castle’s history and previewed the haunts in store for us. The video was low budget but still entertaining. After, the tour started, it was like any other maze with jump scares and props to decorate the castle in. The castle only caused me to only jump 3 times in the hour long tour. I believe it to be a nice appropriate scare for kids aged ten and above, nothing too terrifying. My favorite part of the haunt was knowing you were walking through an alleged haunted castle. While some parts of the castle are still rundown, looking at the rooms and the architecture was great. Some of the room decorations even matched the intended purpose of the room such as the infirmary.
![Preston Castle entrance](https://i0.wp.com/umbraexlibris.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_0661.jpg?resize=480%2C640&ssl=1)
The Review
Overall, I would recommend going at least once just to see the building and walk through an actual castle. From 1 to 10 on scariness, I would give it a 4, but on 1 to 10 on enjoyment I would say it was an 8. If you are looking for something terrifying this is not the place but for a fun, unique environment it is perfect. I will definitely be going again. Preston Castle also hosts unique events year round. They host a Christmas at the castle event and occasionally they do overnight ghost hunting tours. To me, an overnight ghost hunting tour sounds scarier than just a classic halloween haunting. I plan on coming back next year for a great, fun environment.