Working At Preston - Memories of Bruce Warner

In the past year I have become acquainted with someone who happened to have worked at Preston starting in the early 1950's, and who remained working there for 40 years. In the beginning, Bruce Warner was a baker in the Navy. By 1952, he was hired to be a cook at Preston.  Bruce first lived on the 2nd floor of the main Administration building, aka The Castle in an apartment. At the time he paid $10 rent for the apartment, plus he got free meals. Later he moved to housing quarters on the property, until he got married, which was when he eventually moved off site to a house.  

For his job, he would arrive at 3 a.m. to the kitchen start the day's food preparations, and at least 4 boys would be assigned to his kitchen to help daily. He would cook for up to 1000 wards a day. He also mentioned the butcher shop was also a sectioned off part of the main kitchen used to prepare meals for the wards. Later on he would become a security guard there, and even later he was the bus driver for the Preston Band.

The Administration building, from what he remembers was basically the same -- Basement, 1st floor level remained offices, Superintendent's office, Asst. Superintendent's office, etc. The 2nd level was apartments for the employees and also their very own post office (Waterman, California), and the 3rd level he remembers being open and the boys playing sports such as basketball in a larger area on that level. He said at that time he does not recall any infirmary or hospital areas in use in that building, so by that point, those areas had been moved to other buildings on campus. 

He mentioned the Honor Cottages and how they had day rooms downstairs for the wards, and upstairs were the sleeping quarters. He mentioned that a building behind the castle also had a dining area for the wards, and living quarters upstairs for a company of boys. He also mentioned another apartment towards the end, one of which he later moved into which had a small bedroom and kitchen area. He was still only required to pay $10 per month for rent.

He recalled the giant metal fire escape slide, and admitted he slid down it once or twice, for fun! He said that there was a blacksmith shop, a cobbler shop, a print shop, a bakery, a slaughterhouse, a garden, a huge area where they kept over 3000 laying hens which was fairly close to the cemetery. He also remembered fruit trees, which the staff had to keep a close eye on, because wards would take fruit and hide it in their clothes and bring back to their dormitories and make wine or "pruno" with it, by using a piece of bread to extract the yeast to make the fruit juice turn. He said that was a common problem.

The ranch and dairy had a herd of cattle, cows for milking, sheep, horses, and hogs. 

"When I came to Preston, a lot of the older folks who had worked there for many years were now reaching retirement age, we're talking 60 to 70 years old, but these folks still had to work, so they were put on the night shift. They were put in the dormitories with the boys with no protection from them at all. This was a dangerous thing. They only had two steps and a platform between them and the boys, some who were very violent. Eventually the guards had to have cages, not for the boys, but for the guards to sit inside the cages at night for their own protection." 

Bruce also recalled another incident where a guard opened one of the cell doors for an inmate in lock up (something they were not supposed to do). He couldn't recall the exact reason for the guard opening the door but the ward tricked the guard and attacked him, knocking the guard very hard in the head and attempting to escape. The only reason the ward got caught was because another ward in the cell next to him started yelling for help, which alerted staff and more security guards came.

He mentioned that wards often tried to attack staff there, a perfect example of that was when his friend, Preston's agricultural teacher James Wieden died from his injuries after two wards attacked him in an attempt to escape. (You can read about that story here.) 

When asked about the allegations of ongoing abuse at Preston, Bruce stated, "I don't know of any, there wasn't any type of abuse or punishments like that when I worked there."

Punishment in solitary confinement consisted of 2 days of a bread and water diet (all three meals). He said the boys would get 2 slices of bread and all the water they wanted for each meal, and on the third day they would get a full three meals. The fourth and fifth days were back to bread and water again.  He said he had heard of the corporal punishment methods such as paddling and whipping that had taken place there in the past, and even spoke to the brother of the "Disciplinarian" who had been the person who did the "disciplining" when deemed necessary. Still, Bruce stated that he never witnessed any abuse to the wards while he worked there. 

If they were assigned to the work squad for punishment, they would move piles of dirt with a shovel and wheelbarrow in the morning and the afternoon. No talking was allowed. He said he remembered one ward who worked so hard, and got so filthy in the dirt that when the end of the day came he asked Bruce if he could skip the shower that evening. When asked why, the boy showed him his hands which the joints and knuckles were full of newly popped open blisters. Bruce told him just that one time he could skip the shower. He looked up and told him, "Thank you, you will never have another problem with me again." 

Bruce mentioned to me that although he had heard of Preston's reputation of being hard on the boys, and the stories of  abuse before he came to work there, that as the years went on and once the social workers and psychologists got involved with the school, then the administration was forced to go "too easy" on the wards, resulting in more rebellious behavior because the wards no longer feared consequences for their actions. 

All in all, Bruce enjoyed his time at Preston. He stated that there were so many people who worked there who honestly were good people, just wanting to help the boys and make a living to survive. He enjoyed working with the boys in the kitchen and watching them parole and leave, hoping they made a better life for themselves elsewhere. 

He believes that the Preston School was a good thing, despite what other people may believe. He highly respects E.M. Preston for having the idea and the drive to fight to have this school built in order to help the younger boys get away from the bad element that they were doomed to experience, as they would have been sent to Folsom or San Quentin otherwise. Bruce explained that the young boys would have been sexually assaulted had they been sent to the prison system, and no one would be able to protect them from the hardened criminals there. E.M. Preston didn't want that for the boys. 

Although the Preston School of Industry wasn't a perfect place -- and yes, there were tales of abuse and even some stories of alleged sexual abuse, but for the most part Preston was a safer place to be than San Quentin or Folsom, and we need to remember that. 

(J'aime Rubio, Copyright 2025 - www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Preston: A Mixed Bag- Good? Bad? How about somewhere in between?!

I wanted to clarify a few things that were stated recently in an article in the Ledger Dispatch that just didn't hold up when examined by the facts. The interview that was published was with the curators of the most recent photograph and media exhibit being held at Preston this summer. I am unsure where the ladies who were interviewed got their research from, but I wanted to clarify a few things here so that the public would know the actual facts in order to clear up any misinformation.

First and foremost, the majority of the boys that were sent to Preston over the years while the school was open, were there because of crimes they had committed, but yes, not all the boys were criminals, especially in its inception.  Many of the boys in the early years were homeless, or their parents were unable to financially support them. Some were considered “incorrigible” but not necessarily worthy of going to jail.

Depending on the time period when the boys were sent to “the Castle,” that depended on the type of experiences one would have there. In the school’s infancy, there were a lot of hiccups you could say, and mistakes made by some of those who were in charge. The school had earned the reputation of the “Preston School of Scandal,” for a reason. There were accusations made that certain Superintendents had abused the boys. One of the more infamous stories was of Superintendent O’Brien who was accused of literally torturing some of the wards, which was published in the newspapers, and he did eventually step down from his position.  

Still, there were plenty of Superintendents that were focused on truly wanting to help the boys learn to become upstanding members of society, so that upon their release they could go out and find work and make a better life for themselves. Please believe that not all the people running Preston were ruling with an iron fist.   

In my books and here on my ongoing blog "Preston Castle History," I like to refer to Preston as a mixed bag of sorts, because along with the bad stories, there were also many good ones. There were a lot of people who worked there, some of them their entire lives, intent on helping the youth do better. There are a lot of stories of the boys who left the school to become successful members of society, too.  

To clarify a few things, the boys at Preston were not all treated as though they had committed crimes, as the staff knew very well which boys were sent there and for what reasons such as the child being an orphan, his parents couldn’t financially afford to support him, or even worse possibly vagrancy. Then there were other boys sent to Preston for continual truancy, incorrigibleness and yes, committing crimes, petty or even some serious ones. To adamantly state that the school operated under that opinion, that they believed they were all guilty, is a disservice and a disrespect to all who worked so tirelessly at that school hoping to help these boys make better lives for themselves. 

Going back to the way the wards were treated. Yes, at times there were boys who were paddled or flogged for disobedience or getting out of line, but you must remember that during that time in history those forms of corporal punishment were considered the norm. I agree at times it got out of hand, especially with Superintendent O'Brien; However, even in some of the later Preston Biennial reports they stated that they only resorted to those methods if all other methods to get through to the wards were exhausted, not that I think that was okay. One of the Superintendents who wrote in one of the the Biennial reports mentioned that he felt corporal punishment was no good and did nothing positive for the wards. So as you can see, not everyone agreed with those methods. Again, it depended on the time period. Eventually corporal punishment* as a whole was stopped.

And yes, it was Corporal Punishment, not Capital Punishment as the article states. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE! (*There were no executions at Preston!) 

There were two choices at the time, send the boys to Preston or Whittier, another reformatory at the time, or be sent to the Penitentiary such as Folsom or San Quentin, where the hardened criminals were housed. The odds were they would have left institutionalized had they been sent to the latter. So, Preston was the lesser of two evils, no doubt. 

One of the quotes in the article stated: "The injustice is, these boys were put in the middle of nowwhere, locked down in solitary confinement and unable to have freedom of movement, and they were children."

That statement couldn't be further from the truth. For one, there were no fences at Preston when they opened. It was an open campus. People from Ione wandered up there from time to time, and even later, Ione residents were able to come and take trades classes there alongside the wards. Anna Corbin's son, Harold was one of those residents who took classes there. 

Second, they were not all put in solitary confinement. There were some events in the early years noted in record where the boys said to have been kept in the basement -- these were the written experiences of the wards themselves. But as a whole the boys were free to roam the property, work on the farm, in the blacksmith shop, in the print shop, in the bakery, and all the other departments where they were able to work and learn trades. They were able to go swimming on certain days of the week, and they were able to take care of the animals on the farm. They lived in honor cottages and buildings, not the solitary lock up buildings - those were for the boys who were being punished for bad behavior. Also, the fact the boys were doing work at Preston was not for the benefit of Preston itself, although everyone benefited, even the town, but it was to teach the boys life skills so that when they were released they would be able to support themselves out in the world. 

In the article it mentioned “The general population chose to harbor rampant discrimination and extreme exclusion via racism, homophobia, classism and povertyism – operating under the opinion that if these people were innocent, they would not have been arrested.”

I am going to have to disagree on that statement – which by the way is not supported by facts. For one, the Biennial Report for the Preston School of Industry published in 1918, showed that “the occurrence of serious crimes is most frequent among the white American boys and least frequent among the colored Americans.”    

In my research for the many years that I have been doing so, I have found no records to imply that anyone was discriminated against by race at Preston-- at least not during the time periods in which I researched (during the Administration buildings years of being open).  I saw white, black and Hispanic boys alike being treated the same in the stories and records I have recovered. 

The school often based their opinions on the boys by using the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale which measured mental abilities such as judgement, reasoning and comprehension. By 1916, that test was replaced by the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, to determine their cognitive abilities based on fluid reasoning, quantitative reasoning, knowledge, visual-spatial processing and working memory. This was to determine their intellectual weaknesses and strengths. It was not about racism or homophobia, and it certainly wasn’t based on classism. 

In fact, one of the wealthier of the wards, Herman Huber, was sent to Preston not having committed any crime at all, but more than likely because he was disobeying his grandfather or family members. The Preston admission ledger only had the word "Delinquent" next to Herman's name. His experience there was not a good one, and he never left Preston -- alive anyway. Herman was shot and killed by a guard during a botched escape attempt, and an eye-witness reported the incident to the Governor after his release from the school.  

Yes, Preston had records where they kept track of demographics such as where the boys came from, their backgrounds, their crimes and yes, their race. However, the records show that the boys who were made to do the most “disagreeable work,” such as hard labor, were doing so for acting out and not going along with the program, not because of the color of their skin. Remember this was a reform school to teach discipline, education and a trade. The school had rules to abide by, similar to the military. From the moment you stepped foot on the grounds you were expected to follow the rules. The boys were assigned to a company, not unlike in the military. You were expected to respect and follow the rules – and if you fell short, the entire company would be punished (not physically – but privileges taken away), just like in the military. 

During the time period where they had implemented a form of self-government, the boys had a choice – act right, do what was expected of you and you would move up, if you chose to disobey and cause problems you would be demoted.  Segregation, if any, wasn’t classified by race or ethnicity, but based on their age groups and what they were sent to Preston for, as the administration learned a hard lesson when during the earlier years of the school’s operations the new boys  were “indiscriminately mixed with the older institution types, feeble-minded with normal boys, moral degenerates with innocent first offenders or dependents.”  That was a recipe for disaster.

As the years went on the more problematic boys were often sent to solitary confinement for a period of time, until they were willing to cooperate. The wards who were attending classes and keeping up on the program at Preston found themselves earning more and more credits and being given more privileges. 

“He has just as many opportunities for wrong decisions as for right ones, just as many chances to go wrong as to go right. If he goes wrong, he is not combating the social order of his mental and social superiors in civilization, which he cannot respect, but he is combating his social and mental peers whom he understands and must respect. His comfort, happiness and progress depend upon his social relations; his social relations upon his free choice of conduct in the field of self-government. This, then, is the starting point for the boy: to make him conscious that he is a free moral agent and that his every decision affects his own life and status, and at Preston he makes that start the first day he arrives.” – Preston 12^th Biennial Report, page 6. 

The ward index mentioned in the article of the first 2,500 boys at the school was actually a list that I had compiled and donated to the Preston Foundation back in 2013. I made two identical copies. One of which I still have with me. It was actually the first 2,696 wards accepted at the school from its opening in 1894 to 1914.  

According to Bruce Warner, who worked at Preston for over 40 years, starting in the early 1950s,  and was both a cook and later on security detail there, stated that at its highest population during his time at Preston in the 1950s, he was feeding 1,000 wards breakfast every morning. There were a lot of boys who came and left that school. Some had bad experiences, some had good. I have interviewed some who were there going back to the 50s, 60s and even 70s, and they all said that if you kept your head down and didn't cause problems you would be okay, but if you caused problems you would go to solitary and make things harder for yourself. 

 

The article mentioned a visit to the cemetery, which is normally off limits because it is on CalFire property and is no longer part of the Preston property. So for the public, please do not attempt to visit the cemetery!

Regarding some of the deaths mentioned, 10 year old Grant Walker, was a young white American child, who came from a very large and very poor family. His father was a stagecoach driver and married someone who had many children from a previous marriage. It is my belief that the family fell on very hard times and that Grant ended up in the system because of their inability to care for him. This was not uncommon and I have found that to be the case many times. Sadly, Grant became ill with typhoid fever, a very common disease during that time period and sadly he passed away. 

In my book, "If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History," I questioned the first two deaths reported in the Biennial Report for 1895. I have mentioned this  on my blog as well. The first two deaths that I could find in records was Adolf Antron and Grant Walker. Adolf died from pulmonary adema and Grant was said to have died from typhoid fever as mentioned above. 

The Biennial Report however mentioned the second death as "an accidental burn resulting in an intestinal ulceration." This is why I questioned Grant's death in my book, but let me be clear, the report never gave a name. This left a big question mark in my mind. Was that death by way of a chemical burn Grant, or another ward whose name was simply forgotten? One whose body had been removed by family and buried elsewhere? We will never know for certain. However, Grant's official cause of death was said to be typhoid fever, and without an autopsy report that states otherwise, we cannot say adamantly that it was anything other than that. 

The newspaper article also adamantly stated that "13 year olds don’t die of a stroke."  

To answer that, a “stroke of apoplexy,” which is what 17 year old Peter Miller died of, was something that did afflict people, young and old alike. It can be caused by a blood clot blocking the flow to the brain which is an ischemic stroke. You can also die from a stroke, caused from bleeding to the brain, types of blood clotting disorders, infections and even heart conditions. In teenagers, it can even be caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland. 

Another death, Frank Ward, who died at age 17, from “Dementia” actually died from “Dementia Paralytica” which was primarily caused from a late-stage neurosyphilis, which the person could have contracted at birth from their mother who had the disease.  

Yes, in my research I have found a few deaths that I found suspicious, not the ones mentioned in the article as those were natural causes; However, even with the research I have done, I cannot say 100% that the deaths I have suspected of possible foul play were actually homicides, nor can I make a statement that the deaths do not match the forensics. There was no forensics. The cause of death would have been determined by the coroner at the time, an upstanding man in the community whom I have researched and written about countless times. The ward's families were either unable to be located to notify them of the death, or the family was not financially in a position to retrieve the body to be buried elsewhere, and so the young deceased ward was buried on the property.  There really is nothing suspicious about that. 

Lastly, the article quoted one of the ladies stating “These are ongoing themes, people living in poverty, immigrants who didn’t have access to schooling or the ability to thrive.” -- If you were to look at the records, at least for the first 75 years of Preston's history, the majority of wards there were not all immigrants -- but primarily American Caucasian boys. Yes, over time the population of Hispanic and African-American wards increased tremendously, but to really put things in perspective, the boys and/or young men who were sent to Preston over the majority of the time it was in operation, those were boys of all races, all religions, all ethnic backgrounds and all walks of life -- You could say that Preston was actually the great equalizer.

I hope that after reading this blog you will see a more level headed perspective of the school's history. Yes, there were stories of abuse and mistreatement at different times during the school's history - I am not denying that; However, we cannot deny that the school did do a lot of good for a lot of boys who would have never stood a chance in the world without their help. Some boys that went to Preston went on to lead successful lives, and yes, some remained forever in the system, institutionalized. In reality, every boy who stepped foot on that campus had a chance to do better while there at Preston, and in the end it was up to their state of mind, their choice whether or not they would learn from their experience and do better, or use these experiences as a crutch for the rest of their life that determined where their journey would lead them as adults. 

(J'aime Rubio - Copyright 8/30/2025 - www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

 

 

 

Remembering James Wieden - Preston's Slain Agricultural Teacher

Another story that has been whispered around Amador County for many years is that of the death of 45 year old Vocational Agriculture Teacher at the Preston School of Industry, James Wieden, after a brutal attack that took place on December 2, 1965.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to interview a former staff member of Preston by the name of Bruce Warner. Originally hired in 1952 as a cook, Warner later worked his way around the school and at the time of Mr. Weiden's passing, he was working in the security unit.

"I was one of the last people to see him alive," stated Bruce Warner, former staff member. 

According to Warner, he was responsible for delivering the wards to and from the farm. That day there was a group of wards working with Mr. Wieden. When the time came to collect the boys for the evening, Mr. Wieden told him that he was going to keep William Dunlap and Robert Stalcup to work a little later, as they were going to help him on a personal project working on his small trailer. 

"The rest of the boys were returned and the staff were told about the two boys staying to work later with Jim, but the staff forgot until they did count at 9 p.m. and realized they were short two boys." 

Mr. Wieden was welding at the time of his assault, and didn't see the boys coming so-to-speak because he had his welding hood over his eyes and was working on the trailer. Dunlap had picked up a heavy steam pipe (which was thicker and heavier than regular pipe) and began to bludgeon Mr. Wieden with it, then they stole his car keys and his wallet and made their escape. 

Mr. Wieden struggled to get on his feet and actually managed to walk from the Blacksmith shop to the front of the farm headquarters (approximately 200 feet) where he then collapsed. Mr. Wieden was found that evening and immediately rushed to the hospital in Stockton. Bruce Warner mentioned that he remembered later seeing a lot of blood all over the ground.  

Newspaper Photo

The boys had stolen Mr. Wieden's car and were gone with the wind. Sadly, Mr. Wieden just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time it seems. It turns out that the two inmates, William Dunlap and Robert Stalcup, planned on making an escape by volunteering to stay after their regular vocational class and help the teacher weld the trailer hitch. They planned on taking advantage of being the only ones out there at the time besides Mr. Wieden.

James Wieden didn't actually die on the grounds of Preston. Although he was badly hurt, he was taken to the hospital where he later died of his injuries on December 5th.

After they were apprehended, Dunlap admitted to bludgeoning Wieden over the head with the metal pipe the size of a baseball bat, near the blacksmith shop. Apparently, before attempting to flee, they had decided that Wieden was in their way, so they chose to kill him. Both inmates were eventually caught in Southern California and later pled guilty to charges of second degree murder.

The newspaper headlines said "5 Years To Life" when the two were sentenced, but as you get to the end of the article the authorities stated for the paper that due to the pair being under 18 at the time of the murder, they would probably be walking free within a decade.

What is interesting is the fact there are etchings on a cell door at the old Amador County Courthouse Jail that says that "Bob Stalcup killed Wieden," and then just below it says "PSI." It makes you wonder who etched that? Was it William? They were both held in the jail awaiting their trials. I am pretty sure we will never have an answer for that one, but it makes you wonder.

 Courtesy of Jaime Macklin (Restore Amador)

Going back to the story, when reflecting on his memories of James Wieden, Bruce Warner stated: 

"He was the kindest person that worked there, he was the nicest one of all of us! He even took one or two boys home for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner each year, and his wife would make a big dinner for them and bake the boys cookies, too."  

As we discussed his memories of James Wieden, it was apparent that Bruce Warner thought very highly of him and he was still very sad and disgusted that such a heinous crime was committed against such a kind hearted and good person who only wanted to help the boys at Preston.

James Wieden, Agricultural Teacher at the Preston School of Industry in Ione, California passed away from his injuries on December 5, 1965 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California.

He was survived by his wife Edmee Wieden. Funeral Services were held at the Lodi Funeral Home, Elders S.S. Rutan and Ivan Kurtz presided over the services and burial took place at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi. 

The high school at the Preston School of Industry was named after James Wieden in honor of the memory of their fallen instructor.

May we never forget this loving, kind teacher. Rest In Peace, Mr. Wieden, you will never be forgotten.

(Copyright 2024 - J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Special thanks to Bruce Warner (former Preston School of Industry employee of over 40 years)

The Sad Tale of Walter Engell

I haven't posted anything on this blog in quite some time, but that is going to change soon. Today, I am going to share with you the story of Walter Engell. Now, this story isn't going to be a very long story but it is still a story worth sharing with you. First and foremost, I want to give a big thanks to Megan at the Ione Public Cemetery in Ione for her help with this one. 

According to Megan, they had a record at the cemetery of Walter Engell's death, but that he wasn't actually buried there. He was listed as a ward at the Preston School of Industry who sadly passed away at the school due to pneumonia. Megan reached out to me regarding this story and I went searching for that name in my records. Sure enough, I had a record of an Engell in my ward's list, but it was the wrong Engall.

So I started researching and uncovered Walter's story, a story that hasn't been told in one hundred years!

Walter was born in 1903 to Raymond G. Engell and Gussie Adams.  Walter's father was a German immigrant while his mother was born in New York to German immigrants. In 1910, the family was living at 324 W. Sepulveda Street in San Pedro, California. Walter's father was bar tender, which doesn't surprise me given the incident that led up to Walter ending up in Preston, but we will get to that shortly.

The family lived at the home with 7 year old Walter, his parents and his two siblings, Raymond Jr., and Gladys.  By 1920, the census shows the family residing at 1159 W 52nd Street, and by this time Raymond is going by his middle name Gerhard and is listed as a proprietor of a restaurant. The family has grown since then, as they now have a younger daughter, Alice, who is 8 years old at this point. Walter is listed as 16. 

By April 14, 1921, in the middle of prohibition the Los Angeles Herald publishes an account of a "Purity Brigade" arresting 10 people in a "kicky cider search." Among those arrested were Walter, only 17 by now, and his father, Gerhard Engell. 

Sadly, this is the event that would send underage Walter up to the Preston School of Industry, where he would eventually get sick and develop pneumonia which would end his life. The fact that his father had a role in what led to not only his son being arrested and going into the "system," but also his own death is something inconceivable to a normal parent. 

His body was removed from Preston, to C.W. Swain  coroner and undertaker in Ione, who made arrangements to send Walter's remains to San Pedro, where they would end up at the receiving vault at the Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. His body sat in the receiving vault until he was cremated on July 7, 1924. It appears he remained in permanent storage in their "vault" until January 31, 1952 when his funeral card states "IWR" which I can only think meant "interred with relatives." 

Sadly, because he was cremated and he was later removed from the cemetery, there are no further records showing where he is located, and I haven't been able to locate where his parents are buried as of yet either. So for now, Walter Engell's final whereabouts remain a mystery.

I can only wonder what happened to Walter at Preston to cause his untimely death? Did he just catch a cold that developed into pneumonia, or was he exposed to such bad conditions at Preston that caused his illness to get worse to the point he died? I only think about this based on the fact that during the 1920s, the school was developing the reputation "The Preston School of Scandal," and Leon Adams wrote an expose' on the school and how the boys were living in pretty bad conditions at the time. Could Walter's life have been saved had he been allowed proper medical care, and better living conditions? Or was it simply just natural causes that couldn't have been changed either way? We will never know for sure.

To read more about Leon Adams' investigation into the school, please pick up a copy of "Behind The Walls" today!

J'aime Rubio - Copyright 2024 - www.jaimerubiowriter.com 

Preston's Forgotten Builder - C. W. Swain

"From all over Ione you can see Preston Castle peering from atop the hillside, seemingly watching over the town, the farms, and yes, even the cemetery. An interesting fact is that from the area where Mr. Clarence W. Swain is buried in the Ione Public Cemetery, you can literally see that majestic structure in the distance, the very castle he helped construct. 

Find-a-Grave

Everyone knows that Preston Castle was named after E.M. Preston, and that Charles Schultze drew the architectural plans, but no one ever talks about the man who was in charge of building it. That man was Clarence Warren Swain. 

So just who was Clarence Swain, you might ask? 

Mr. Swain was born on October 24, 1856 in Petaluma, California. Said to be the son of a Massachusetts Sea Captain, Clarence decided to get involved with construction as his field of trade, finding himself working as a contractor in San Francisco by the time he was a young adult. By 1882, he moved to the little town of Ione, and was made Superintendent of Construction for the Administration building at the Preston School of Industry. 

During this same time period, Swain designed and constructed his own house on Church Street. He adorned his beautiful home with the bricks around the foundation, using the same exact sandstone that was used for the castle. 

During the course of Clarence Swain’s life, he built many homes in Ione, as well as building the former Dry Creek bridge that once spanned over the creek in town. He also superintended the building of the original grammar school and the original county hospital, as well as the Pitt Street bridge, all located in Jackson.

Besides being a construction contractor, architect and carpenter, he also acted as the town of Ione’s undertaker for 40 years. Aside from his regular work, he spent his spare time with the youth of the area. Long before the Boy Scouts of America had even been founded, Clarence was organizing scout groups that he took on hiking trips and taught basic skills. He also spent a lot of time working with the boys at Preston, acting as the Sunday School Superintendent at the Methodist Church in Ione, and also buying out extra time in his busy schedule to coach an all-Miwok baseball team. It appears that he was never too busy to help out, teach, encourage and inspire the local youth. 

Clarence married Mary Kraemer on October 22, 1901. The two adopted a daughter, Margaret, though they did not have any biological children of their own. Perhaps due to the fact he did not have a large family of children, that added to his interest in the youth of the area. Either way, his efforts to inspire the children and young adults in Amador County was remarkable. 

Grave of C.W. Swain - J. Rubio

On April 6, 1941, at age of 85, Clarence Swain passed away. His obituary mentions that he “seemed to have had a great love for the youth in the area,” which I believe was his greatest achievement. Yes, he helped construct this magnificent piece of architecture that still stands high above Ione, but his lasting mark will live on forever in the memory of his philanthropic works. Mr. Clarence Warren Swain’s grave is located at the Ione Public Cemetery in Ione, California. "--from the book, "If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History," by J'aime Rubio ( ISBN-13: 9781548569907)

Photos:

Swain House & Grave of Clarence Swain-- J'aime Rubio

Photo of Clarence Swain - courtesy of Find-a-grave

Anna Corbin's Lost History - Preston Castle

At Anna's final resting place (East Lawn Cemetery)

I have been researching the life, and death, of Anna Corbin for nearly 15 years now. What started out as a dream to research and share the true story of what happened to her so many years ago, when she was brutally murdered in the basement at the castle, also turned into a career long desire to share Anna's life story. 

Over 11+ years ago, I became friends with Anna's great-granddaughter Lily, who has offered me a plethora of information to use in my research and writing about Anna. In my research which has spanned over 15 years, I have also been able to provide the family with additional information they were not aware of as well. 

One of the facts that had eluded me for many years until just recently was Anna's home address. I always knew she lived in a house in Ione, not at the Castle, as so many people have tried to claim. The newspapers reported at the time she died said very clearly that she lived in a house in town. One newspaper stated that it was a 5 room house on Marquette Street. Well, there is no "Marquette Street" in Ione.  There is a Market Street, and there is a Marlette, but which one was it?  The library at the time had no directory index for the time period Anna lived in Ione, which left me stumped for a very long time.

When I published my book "Behind the Walls," back in 2012, I had to leave that bit of definitive information up in the air, so I mentioned the house was located either on Market or Marlette, but I was never certain the address. 

Well, by way of Robert Corbin's Will Records I was able to find the exact location.

The house itself sits set back on the corner of Market and Amador, and is in fact one block from Marlette, too. So it is easy to see how the journalist back in 1950 got confused. So today, I am posting this blog to state as a fact that Anna Corbin DID NOT live at Preston Castle at any point in time, just as I have always stated, and that she in fact lived in her home, just as the newspapers in 1950 had stated all along.

Photo Courtesy of Lance Pryor

Photo: Roland Boulware

Photo: Roland Boulware

Photo: Roland Boulware

To find this home was like solving puzzle that had been out of my reach for so long. Although I had pieced together Anna's life and death over a span of 15 years, I have finally found the missing piece, her home! Originally listed as 204 S. Amador, but is now technically 206 S. Amador, the home is located on the corner of Amador and Market Streets in Ione, California. 

Originally owned by Martin Van Buren French and his wife, California "Calla" French, the home was possibly built sometime around 1895, according to the current owner's research. The county records state the home was built in 1880, but I believe that was when the land was mapped out as an individual property, not necessarily having a house on the land at that point. 

We do see the French's living in Ione by way of the 1880 Census, but the specific location is not mentioned.  Martin passed away in 1885, which is why on the records I found, only Calla is mentioned as Mrs. California French. According to the current owner's, the Sanborn maps do not show a structure on this site until at least 1898, meaning the house was built sometime between 1893-1898 based on the Sanborn maps.  At the age of 72, Calla French then sold the property to Charles Kirk in 1922.

Kirk also owned the adjacent lot on the corner of Marlette and Amador Street, which is literally next door. Robert and Anna Corbin purchased the property sometime around 1935, upon arriving to Ione to work at the Preston School of Industry. After Anna's passing, her daughter Avis Barone sold the home to Russell Doss, and since then the home has had 8 more owners (including Mr. Doss). 

During my research to locate the address of Anna's home, I also learned that Anna used to drive a 1941 Pontiac (similar to this photo) to and from work, and that she even had 2 horses on her property on the hillside. I can only imagine the wonderful times she spent there in that beautiful home. 

So, last Saturday I happened to be on my way up to Jackson and so we stopped by Anna's house to take a look at it in person, and to take a photo outside. I saw the owner was outside working on the picket fence and my fiance' told me to go up and start a conversation with him. I am not a big social person, so that isn't easy for me to do, but I did it anyway. And I am sure glad that I did. 

After bringing up the topic of Anna & Robert Corbin having had owned the house long ago, he confirmed that he knew the story and that he had just recently read an article online about her life, and had even printed it. After talking to him about it, I confirmed to him that the article was written by yours truly.  Both the owner and his wife were the kindest, most genuine people and they so generously invited us into their home for a grand tour.

The first thing that I noticed upon entering the house was the lovely kitchen with towering cabinets and a window just above the kitchen sink. I stopped for a second and imagined Anna standing there, looking out that very window as she washed dishes and wondered how many times she must have stood there, thinking, wondering, maybe even deciding what she planned to make for dinner. :-)

I also started imagining the scenario of an old Victrola playing "Moonlight Serenade" by Glenn Miller, while Anna and her husband Bob stood there as she washed the dishes and he dried them (Sort of like the scene in movie, "Catch Me If You Can.")  Looking out the window of the front of the house, I could imagine Anna sitting on the porch, watching the sunset. The memories she shared with her children, her husband and their friends, too. I thought of her route to work, or that she may have walked down the hill to the Methodist Church for Sunday services with her hat and gloves, just the way my grandmother did back in that time period. There are so many things now I can really ponder now that I have a visual spot to imagine her at.

COPYRIGHTED - DO NOT SHARE

I also imagined the lovely 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary she celebrated with her husband in 1943, at that very home surrounded by her loved ones. How beautiful she must have looked, donning her wedding gown, while Robert Corbin past their marriage certificate around for all their guests to sign. The music playing, the dancing and the cutting of their anniversary cake, all must have been wonderful memories shared behind the walls of that beautiful home. 

The photo posted is a copy of Anna and Robert's wedding photo taken in 1918, and is property of the Corbin/Barone family. Anna's great-granddaughter gave me exclusive permission to share this photo, but I watermarked it for safety so that no one else can share this photo, as it is not anyone's right to share. (DO NOT COPY OR SHARE)

The owners verified that there has been some work done to the property since they purchased it some 30 years ago, but they have restored it back to the way it once was with some modifications. The backyard has seen some changes over the years, and now it is like a beautiful garden. There once was Wisteria growing in the back, which eventually overcrowded the carport area and it had to be removed and the carport demolished. There also were lots of cherry plum trees all over, which have been removed as well. An old shed dating back to the 1940's was out back but was also razed, to remodel the backyard into a gorgeous space with plants, a pool and lots of shade. 

Inside, there is still crown moulding around the doorways and the ceiling, original hardwood flooring, etc. The walls are decorated in a gorgeous wallpaper, although the owners confirmed it is not the original wallpaper. The kitchen is the same, although the room has been extended a bit.  I can honestly say this property is a gorgeous oasis of peace and tranquility, and the owners have also let me know, it is NOT HAUNTED. 

It was a dream come true being able to visit Anna's home, to see where she lived, and walk the floors that she walked. Although there are some changes, the house still looks the same on the outside. 

So, today I decided to share this blog with the hopes that if you really want to know Anna's story, you need to get to know Anna. Not only by my sharing the information about her house, but also by my sharing of information about her as a person.  So, just who was Anna Corbin? 

Well, there is a lot more to her than just the fact she was a head housekeeper at Preston who was murdered! She was a very well educated, spirited, generous, kind and loving human being. She was a good Christian woman, a loving mother and a loyal wife. She was a very hard working person, who not only worked full time at Preston, but she devoted a lot of her time to her Church as well. 

I have written so many blogs, chapters in books and even dedicated an entire hour long podcast to Anna's story, just to make sure her story is told correctly, and with respect. There has been so much misinformation for so many years spread about her death, even claiming she lived at Preston.

From people giving tours there, to Ghost Adventures claiming she lived in the upstairs apartment area, down to the film "Apparition" which made the character "Anna" (which was based on Anna Corbin) also living in the Administration building. All factually incorrect, yet, continuously perpetuated which misleads the public who for the most part do not bother to verify everything they read, see and hear. 

By sharing with you Anna's life, I can make her a real person to you, not just a ghost story.  In my mind, I see her there, in that house, happy. Not a lonely ghost wandering the empty halls of an old abandoned school. And no, I don't believe she haunts the house, I just mean the memory of her there. Again, the owner's stated the home is NOT HAUNTED. -- 

Also, being that this is a private residence, please show respect and DO NOT DISTURB the owners if you happen to drive by to look at the house. 

If you would like to know more about the true history of  Anna Corbin please follow the links below to my podcast where you can hear all about it, or you can read the blog below.

PODCAST:  Stories of the Forgotten - Preston Castle History: Anna Corbin's Story Revealed 

BLOG: https://dreamingcasuallypoetry.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-life-and-death-of-anna-corbin.html

Thank you for visiting Preston Castle History!

- J'aime Rubio (Copyright 2022) www.jaimerubiowriter.com

-- Thank you to the Pryors for the lovely tour and to allow me permission to write about your home. Thank you to Roland Boulware for the photography of the outside of the home. 

Infiltrating The Castle - Preston Castle History

Daily News Archived Clipping

When I started investigative writing, only one thing was on my mind, revealing the truth. I think I can speak for all reporters and journalists who truly love their jobs, when I say that being a writer is a passion that drives you to do some pretty insane things at times. One good example, crime reporter Scott Thomas Anderson had put himself in harm’s way when he spent time traveling the country with various departments of law enforcement to investigate the harsh element of meth driven crime, in his book “Shadow People.”

It’s just a known fact that sometimes, in order to get the scoop or just to unravel the pieces of an intricate and enigmatic puzzle of a good mystery, a writer must immerse themselves in the element they are researching. One person that stands out as an original truth seeker, and one who may have very well been the first truth seeker at Preston Castle, was a reporter by the name of Leon Adams. 

In 1923, Adams, a reporter for the San Francisco Daily News, was assigned to investigate the Preston School of Industry undercover as a ward. His assignment was to expose the school for all the terrible things that were being done, not only to the inmates but also within the administration. In order for Adams to fit in as a real inmate, he had to be arrested and convicted in a criminal court. He was purposely “framed” for attempted burglary, to which he was brought before the court and pled guilty, requesting to be sent to Preston. 

In his series of articles exposing the Preston School of Industry’s dark secrets of mistreatment and torture, he states: “Upon seeing Preston at close quarters, one wonders that any boys go “straight” after leaving there. Terrible punishments that impair mentality and physique are administered by officers who are unable to control the youths they guard unless they make an example of every offender.” It was obvious for Adams that the element he had thrust himself into was going to be a tough one to deal with.

In his first article, he mentions the fact that he had to get into trouble there, in order to witness firsthand the brutality inflicted on the other wards. “No one at Preston knew who I was. To reach the cells, I had to “fake.” I had my choice of running away, disobeying an officer, assaulting a guard or continued defiance. My pick was the mildest-disobedience. It wasn’t hard. I picked a fight with Jack Hindsman, who always “had a chip on his shoulder.” We went to it. I soon found I had picked the wrong opponent, but didn’t mind so much. As we fought, the officer stood by and watched.

Fighting is against the rules at Preston, but it didn’t matter there, Capt. J.W. Sibole was enjoying the sight. We finally quit from the exhaustion. My face was bloody, my lips cut, and both eyes beginning to swell. Looking defiantly at Sibole, I silently dared him to enforce the rule which so often is violated at the school. He took the dare and ordered the two of us to stand the “guard line.” Boys on guard line must stand erect, facing the wall, while others rest. It is a physical punishment. 

 After a few minutes, on the line, I sat down.” As his story went on, he explained that his refusal to stand the line made Sibole angry. Adams was then sent to the detail office to receive a punishment for his insubordination. When questioned about the fight and his disobedience, Adams refused to answer, thus only getting him into more trouble. He then was sent down the hill to the cell house with his punishment awaiting him, an order to withstand 15 days in solitary confinement.

He described the original detention building being too dark and having two tiers of barred doors set in a solid wall made of stone. He states that the doors were fastened in four ways, and each cell having two gates. Windows were high above their reach, also barred. The inner gate was a solid oak lined with quarter-inch steel, while the outer gate was metal. After being ordered to strip naked and lay face down on the icy cement floor, a guard handed him a piece of canvas that he was supposed to fashion as some sort of undergarment. He then had to follow the guard up the iron ladder to cell No. 22. 

“My cell was 10 feet high and 9 feet wide. A faucet, a bowl and an iron bunk, two dirty blankets, a little wad of cloth for a pillow - that was my furniture.” He goes on to mention that the windows had heavy wire screens on them, layers of bars and opaque glass that kept the light out, leaving the inmates in total darkness, day or night. 

“My tomb, I called the place. It was the tomb of many boys before me. Scratches on the wall revealed the presence there of an assemblage of notables, names were followed by crosses....Before an hour had passed, I began to calculate how long it would be before I left my dungeon. Fifteen days, each with 24 long hours, seemed like years. What I am trying to tell about is impossible to conceive. Think, think and suffer. That's all one can do in a cell. Sleep affords no rest. Some even counted up to 13 and 14- evidently the number of days a prisoner had spent in the place. I didn’t spend the full 15 days in the cell. Watson took me out on the 11th day, when I was too sick to sit up and reach for the cup of skimmed milk that came through the little hole in the thick cell door.

For the first three days I only received one thin slice of bread, one cup half full of thin milk, shoved at me by a hand belonging to a face I never saw. On the fourth day, came a dish of cold meat, cold gravy and cold potatoes. That night I became deathly sick. I think I cried out once, but don’t remember much about that. The nights that followed weren’t quite so bad. I hadn’t enough strength to cry out much more.” Adams’ account of his eleven days in solitary ended with the guard removing him from the cell and forcing him to “stand the line” for ten hours. The first night they forced him to do such a thing, he fainted. For that, they made him stand even longer the next day. 

While Adams was in solitary confinement he found the name "Tuffy" Reid etched into the wall, following "third time over the hill." Other names were also scratched into the walls along with marks of how many days spent in solitary. Adams claimed that the name "Tuffy" kept standing out in his mind, and later he remembered where he had heard it, the media!  Tuffy was a death row inmate who made headlines in the newspaper for a murder in Los Angeles in 1923.

In his article, Adams’ makes a moving statement: “What earthly good can come to a boy in a cell? What human ever was worth a straw whose spirit was broken?” That statement rings true in so many ways. It was apparent to him that the disciplinary actions or rehabilitation that Preston was inflicting on their wards was doing more harm than good. In Adams’ article “Youths Kept in Dark Basement,” he goes on to state that the Administration building’s basement was being used to hold 50 boys in the dark. He also mentions that the basement held six solitary confinement cells where boys had been kept for weeks at a time while there was also a flogging room to beat the boys. It seemed that although Preston was content with their methods of punishing the boys, that the results weren’t really making a positive effect on anyone at all.

The statistics alone were proving that Adams’ opinions were correct. The boys who endured any time at Preston were leaving the place more corrupted than when they had arrived in the first place. In his exposé of Preston’s goings on, he revealed the following statistics from that time period: 

“Only two out of every 100 boys who were taught trades at Preston School of Industry follow those trades after being released. Ninety boys over every hundred who leave Preston are back again in some state institution within five years. Seven of the 127 prisoners in the San Francisco jail today, were at Preston at some time or another Out of every 100 criminals at San Quentin State Prison, four are “graduates” of Preston. Many of California’s most notorious crooks received their “education” at the reform school.” 

In his published articles, Adams revealed not only the harsh treatment but also the filthy living conditions, proof of the managerial incompetence of the Superintendent and also his advice on the measures that should be taken to make the necessary changes for improving the school. When Superior Court Judge Louis H. Ward had heard of Adams’ experience at Preston he felt so moved with emotion that he was quoted saying: “I’ll never feel comfortable again in my conviction that I am doing right when I commit a boy to a reform school."

Thankfully, a man in his position of authority had been reached and moved by the proof Adams had been able to expose about Preston. Unfortunately, the school seemed to be untouchable, even after all that exposure and not much changed over the years. With all that Adams went through in order to shed light and truth for the world to see, unfortunately, as many stories related to Preston, this one was long forgotten in the archives, waiting for someone like me to find it. 

Although there may have been other writers, like myself, who have written about Preston Castle and its mysteries, Adams was the one who paved the way. He was the first truth-seeker to expose Preston and call them on all the horrendous things they were doing to those boys. For that, I tip my hat to Leon Adams and his incredible journalism. "

--- from the book, "Behind The Walls: A Historical Exposé of the Preston School of Industry," By J’aime Rubio

ISBN-13: 978-1481075046 - Copyright 2012,  All rights reserved. J'aime Rubio identified as the AUTHOR of the work in accordance with U.S. Copyright Act 1976 and all U.S. Copyright laws. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission by the author/publisher.