A Mine Is A Terrible Thing To Waste—

Lecture Will Lock Attention On Old Newgate Prison

The name New Gate Prison must have conjured up real trepidation in Revolutionary and Federal-era Connecticut.  After all, being imprisoned in an abandoned copper mine, some 60-70 feet below ground level, is not a very appealing thought.

But it was Connecticut’s first major prison, in use for a couple of generations, and most prisoners survived the experience. A number of them even managed to escape from this hole in the ground.

Newtown Historical Society will take a look at the history of Old New Gate on Monday, September 11, at 7:30 pm, in the community room of Booth Library, 25 Main Street in Newtown. The lecture, the first of the season for the historical society, will be presented by Christopher Riley.

New Gate began life as a copper mine in East Granby in 1707.  It was not a bad vein of ore, producing a decent supply of metal. England’s mercantilist Colonial regulations made it difficult to show a profit, however, and by 1740 mining efforts had ceased.

The mine lay unused for most of the next 33 years, when the Connecticut Colony decided in 1773 to use it as a prison – after all, as presenter Chris Riley says, a mine is a terrible thing to waste.

It seemed an ideal solution for the colony: a ready-made structure, supposedly inescapable, and for exercise the prisoners could do a little mining for the colony. First to be incarcerated were law-breakers, followed by Tories after the outbreak of the Revolution, our own military defaulters, and prisoners of war. After the war, the mine reverted to a civilian prison, continuing well into the next century.

While the purpose of New Gate was clearly punishment – thoughts of rehabilitation were well into the future – regulations were in place to protect inmates from abuse. Whipping for prison infractions was limited to ten lashes, at a time when the British Royal Navy allowed for 1,000, for example.

The cave had its good points: its temperature was a constant 52 degrees, a bit chilly, but better than the 15 below zero winters or the 100 degree summers not unknown to the rest of Connecticut. The chill would have seemed balmy to the inmate of the new prison at Wethersfield who died from frostbite in his cell some years later.

The death rate at the prison was about four percent, compared to the infamous Civil War Andersonville, which hovered around 60 percent.

Christopher Riley was in charge of Old New Gate for 23 years, earning citations from Connecticut’s Historical Commission and the State Tourist Bureau for his work. He was a founder of Friends of New Gate, and remains the group’s secretary.

Mr Riley is a WWII veteran, and has worked as a puppeteer, reporter, engineering writer and translator, speaking 12 languages.  He is also an inventor and publisher, and has been active in community charitable works and politics.

All Newtown Historical Society programs are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the presentation.

Reservations are not needed, but additional information is available at 426-5937.