The story
Preston Castle, near Ione in California's Gold Country, was completed in 1894 as the main building of the Preston School of Industry, a reform school for boys and one of the oldest such institutions in the state. The vast Romanesque brick structure housed thousands of wards over the decades before that use ended and the building was eventually abandoned, falling into decay until a preservation foundation took it on; it now offers guided daytime history tours and evening paranormal events. Its haunted reputation rests on the deaths and hardships associated with its institutional history, including a notorious 1950s killing of a housekeeper within the building. Visitors and ghost-hunting groups report footsteps, disembodied voices, cold spots, doors moving and shadowy figures in the corridors, dormitories and basement. These should be framed as visitor accounts and legend rather than proven activity, and the history of confined and often vulnerable young people treated with care rather than as entertainment. Current tour and event details should be confirmed from the official site before publishing.