Escape, Build, Repeat

In 1774, after several successful escapes, the General Assembly ordered a log house built over the original mineshaft to prevent further prison escapes. In 1777, prisoners trying to escape through that mineshaft burned down the guardhouse, and the prison closed until 1780. Fire destroyed the guardhouse again in 1782, and the prison remained closed until 1790. When New-Gate reopened, the log house had been replaced by a brick structure with a storage room and a room for sick inmates, and in 1819 two more stone rooms were added for troublesome inmates. The original mine entrance remained a central access point, reached by climbing down a 35 foot wooden ladder used by miners, inmates, guards, and later tourists, while inmates originally entered through the guard's quarters above and descended through a trap door. During the American Revolution, New-Gate served as a prison for people loyal to the British crown, and in 1781 about 28 men, mainly loyalists, escaped through the original mineshaft when a prisoner's wife was being lowered down to visit him.

East Granby, Connecticut · United States