East Granby, CT – Stone & Lime Historic Restoration Services announced it was selected to oversee the restoration and stabilization of the Old New-Gate Prison in East Granby. The work will enable the historic site to re-open to the public with greater access to previously closed spaces.
The Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine is nationally recognized as the first chartered copper mine (1707) and the first state prison (1773) in early America. After colonial mining ended in the mid-1700s, the colonial government of Connecticut purchased the property and used the abandoned copper mine to house prisoners. It is now a popular tourist site for visitors who can explore an authentic outdoor prison yard, historic ruins/structures, and the remains of the original copper mine.
Years of steady degradation and soil migration led to the site being temporarily closed to visitors (2009 – 2018). Since 2018, the work to preserve and interpret the site has been paramount. Following the award of a Save America’s Treasures grant and support from Connecticut’s Historic Preservation Fund, the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office – which oversees the Old New-Gate site – was able to move forward with plans to stabilize and preserve the four-story Cell Block (1824) and retaining wall, addressing essential improvements to the property designed to make it safe and accessible to visitors again.
Stone & Lime’s team will remove, number, and salvage each stone from the retaining wall, excavate and reset a proper footing for the base, and reconstruct the wall exactly as it appeared in 1707 in a dry-stack bonded fashion. The only materials the team will use aside from original components are drainage stones to mitigate future soil migration and wall failure.
“Stone & Lime has been fortunate to be called upon to restore and preserve historic sites and buildings across the continental U.S., including projects in the Florida Keys and Cape Hatteras,” said Chris Dabek, vice president, Stone & Lime. “However, this project hit home in a special way for us because of its proximity to where members of our team have grown up or resided. I toured this historic site as an elementary school student like so many others, so having the chance to restore it years later makes its revival even more significant.”
