Uniquely is a Sacramento Bee series that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in the Sacramento area so special.
Edward J. Stephens Jr. couldn’t stop running away from his home in Los Angeles. So in the late 1930s, his father made a last-ditch move: Having his son sent to Preston School of Industry.
This juvenile detention facility near Ione operated for more than a century before closing in 2011. And when Stephens was there, he lived at the grounds’ original complex in Ione, Preston Castle, a 47,000-square-foot, 77-room brick building that housed inmates for decades before closing in 1960.
Preston Castle was abandoned and largely exposed to the elements for more than 40 years following its closure. The state moved the inmates to nearby facilities. Even today, the castle remains in considerable disrepair, with the Preston Castle Foundation, which is overseeing restoration work, only allowing visitors on tours to access two of its five floors.