Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine
Underground mine tunnels, ruined prison walls, and archaeology reveal a site where extraction, punishment, labor, and preservation repeatedly changed meaning.
Artwork inspired by John Trumbull
Copper mining began here in the early eighteenth century before the colony converted the excavations into a prison in 1773. Confinement underground proved brutal and insecure; later surface buildings and walls expanded the institution. Ruins now expose construction layers instead of presenting a restored single moment.
Visits are seasonal and may use guided or controlled entry to the mine. Wear secure shoes and expect cool damp conditions below ground, uneven exterior terrain, and stairs. The underground space can close for weather, maintenance, or safety even when the above-ground site remains open. Surface ruins help orient the darker underground narrative.
- Mine began
- Early 1700s
- Prison use
- Began 1773
- Environment
- Cool underground tunnels
Quick guide
- Descend carefully
- Treat temperature, rock, and confinement as historical evidence.
- Read the ruins
- Separate mining, prison, and later preservation layers.
Know before you go
- Start above ground
- Use the site plan before entering the mine.
- Notice adaptation
- Identify how mining spaces were forced into prison use.
- Question survival
- Ask which walls are original, rebuilt, or archaeological.
- Prepare physically
- Stairs, damp rock, and low light shape the experience.
Good to know
Underground access is the feature most likely to change without notice. Claustrophobia, darkness, damp air, stairs, and uneven footing make this a poor spontaneous stop for some visitors; confirm conditions first.
Notice these
- Copper mine
- Prison ruins
- Stone perimeter