The First State Prison Ever in the U.S. was in CT - and it was Like a Dungeon

Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut‘s Beaten Path

Was it a copper mine, a dungeon or a prison? Actually, it was all three. Connecticut’s Newgate Prison was the first state prison ever built in the U.S. The East Granby facility, opened before the Revolutionary War, saw prisoners held in dungeon-like conditions 40-feet below ground in an abandoned copper mine. The incredible details are shared by Morgan Bengel, Site Administrator and Curator at the former prison.