Old New Gate Prison & Copper Mine

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East Granby, CT
Old New Gate Prison & Copper Mine

Colonial Copper Mine -> First State Prison -> Tourist Attraction
300 Years of American History

06/08/2026

We're feeling stable at Old New-Gate! Check out our finished retaining walls. Thanks to Stone & Lime Imports and Caldwell's Excavating for their great work.

06/04/2026

Upcoming Event! 📣

We are excited to once again participate in CT Open House Day on Saturday, June 13th. FREE ADMISSION All Day!

AND starting at 5pm we will be joined by Richard Donahue for a special program, What a Glorious Crash They Made: Musick of Connecticut's Revolution. This event is organized and sponsored by the Friends of Old New-Gate. Details below.
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This program explores the "new songs" and hymns of Connecticut's Revolu-tionary War era that colonists used to foment rebellion, commemorate victories, and cultivate the sensations of freedom. The program features Donohue performing on voice and harpsichord while sharing the stories behind the fiery, seditious repertoire of the era.

There is a suggested $5 donation for this event and space is limited. Send an email to [email protected] to reserve your seat for an enchanting evening with the sounds of the harpsichord. The mine will be closed during the program.

06/01/2026

What's Happening @ Old New-Gate👀

With one retaining wall complete, we have moved to another. Check out the current progress of this wall, which desperately needed stabilizing. Thanks to Stone & Lime Imports and Caldwell's Excavating for their hard work and care with our historic site! Stay tuned for the final product.

05/15/2026

Thanks for visiting Coast2coastwithkids and for sharing our historic site with your followers.
Check out their blog for a full rundown of what to expect when you visit Old New-Gate!

05/11/2026

History Highlight 📜

On a Saturday night in April 1774, two young men made a desperate gamble inside New-Gate Prison — and may have paid for it with their lives.

William Johnson Crawford and Daniel Humphry were among five prisoners who discovered a passage leading from their confinement into an old, partially blocked mine shaft. While the other three cleared rubble from below, Crawford and Humphry climbed upward through the darkness — pulling stones from above their heads as they went.

At around three o'clock in the morning, the shaft gave way.

Rocks and stones collapsed down onto the two men. The three prisoners left below were so shaken they were certain Crawford and Humphry had been buried alive.

But were they? Prison keeper John Viets wasn't so sure. A notice in the Connecticut Courant just days later offered $10 per man for their return — suggesting at least some believed they had made it out.

Crawford was around 24, with black curly hair and black eyes. Humphry was about 20. Both described as "well set, spry young men." What happened to them after that night remains unknown.

Visit us and check out our new exhibit, "What Little is Known" to learn about individuals, like Crawford and Humphrey, who risked their lives to escape the inhumane treatment at New-Gate Prison.

Yes, this story is real and yes, we used ai to have fun crafting this post 😉

05/08/2026

What's Happening @ Old New-Gate👀

WE'RE OPEN for the Season! Come visit Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays (10:00 - 4:30).

This year we will be participating in the commemoration of the Semi quincentennial, 250 years since the signing of the Declaration (1776). Visitors can expect to hear more about New-Gate's role as a Loyalist prison during the Revolution on mine tours and in our new exhibit, "What Little is Known".

In addition, we are ecstatic to have partnered with to offer a site-specific play throughout July & August. Tickets will be released soon, see the teaser description below.
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On a dark night in 1781, Loyalist prisoners rushed out of Connecticut’s New-Gate prison, seizing guns and killing a guard. In The Slippery Truth, a new immersive, site-specific play by Plays in Place, join prison trustee Captain John Forward in his attempt to sort through the stories and lies told by guards and recaptured prisoners. Experience this moment of revolutionary history and explore the complexities of war, prison, and loyalty, in the place where it happened.

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day!

Now that our favorite residents 🦇 have vacated the mine, it is time for our 6-month lease! Museum Opening May 8th!

We will be open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays (10:00 - 4:30), and reserve Thursdays for group visits. Stay tuned for special events and programming throughout the year!

And be sure to visit us on this special Semiquincentennial year!

Photo Credit: Connecticut Fish and Wildlife

04/20/2026

What's Happening @ Old New-Gate👀

Exhibit installation in the historic Guardhouse! "What Little is Known" is our newest exhibit focusing on the incarcerated individuals at New-Gate from 1773 - 1827. Each historic person will be represented by a magnetic profile card for visitors to engage with, sort, organize, and reflect on.

The men and women incarcerated at New-Gate Prison were real human beings, with full lives, experiences, and relationships before and after their incarceration at New-Gate. This exhibit serves as a steppingstone to uncover more about these individuals, inspire curiosity and encourage empathy.

Thank you to the Friends of New-Gate and CT Humanities for funding and supporting this project! Stay tuned for an opening reception.

America 250 | CT Museum Makeover is a program of Conservation ConneCTion and is supported by the America 250 | CT state commission, administered by CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.

01/14/2026

🎉 We're hiring seasonal museum guides 🎉

Positions are for May through October and applications are due January 30th. Seasonal Museum Guides will be stationed at one or more of the four State Museums: Old New Gate Prison & Copper Mine (East Granby), Eric Sloane Museum (Kent), Henry Whitfield State Museum (Guilford), and Prudence Crandall Museum (Canterbury).

Learn more and apply here:
https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/BulPreview.asp?R1=251223&R2=5704VR&R3=001

Address

115 Newgate Road
East Granby, CT
06026

Telephone

+18606533563

Website

http://www.ctvisit.com/listings/old-new-gate-prison-copper-mine

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