CBR15Bingo: Edibles (what these poor men had to eat was truly horrific, despite the tour guide trying to tell us they ate well — the explanatory board on the grounds of the prison and this book both say the men had to eat pickled pork that the guards would throw on the ground and then the prisoners would have to boil it in the water from the forge).
This is a brief volume explaining the history behind the historic Newgate Prison and Copper Mine, which is a fascinating tourist attraction in Connecticut. When I was on a trip with my mom this summer, I spotted a little historic attraction sign for this by the side of the highway and we ended up going because it sounded so interesting. I got this book at the gift shop to round out my knowledge.
The mine opened in 1705 and then proceeded to fail by 1773. The Connecticut government needed somewhere to put prisoners and the mine seemed like an option that no one could escape from. However, the first prisoner escaped, which sort of set the theme for the prison, as there were a lot of escapes and insurrections. There were also several deaths, and there is probably still at least two bodies down the mine from an escape attempt. Conditions were truly horrific. They were let above-ground to work making nails for 12 hours a day, but they were chained by the neck. There are a lot of extremely grim stories in the book of floggings, attempted escapes, and the overall grim life the men led in the dark mine shafts. During the Revolutionary War, the mine was used to house political prisoners as well as normal prisoners, and the horrible conditions were used to pressure people to swear allegiance to the Revolutionary cause. One man was force marched by a mob for a mile with the threat that they were taking him to Newgate, which induced him to swear the loyalty oath. It was interesting to think about how from the perspective we’re taught in school, George Washington and the rebellion are these sainted figures, but here they are sticking people down a mine for the crime of being Loyalists.
The mine remained a prison until 1827, then a private tourist attraction until 1968, and now has been owned by the state since 1968. This book covers this history in straight forward prose, and you can tell that it was a labor of love. It’s the kind of local history book that I like getting at a small museum like this. If you’re in the area, I really recommend visiting because it’s such a unique experience and a window into man’s inhumanity to man.