Capturing The Castle: Images of Preston Castle

by Angelica R. Jackson

On a hilltop in Ione, California, there stands an unlikely castle with fanciful turrets and a soaring clock tower, looming over the town at its feet. This is Preston Castle, formerly known as the Preston School of Industry, which operated as a youth correctional facility from 1894 through 1960.

Fascinated by this unique building, Angelica R. Jackson has photographed its interior over a ten-year period, and learned something of its history. Meanwhile, the Preston Castle Foundation has been working to preserve and restore selected rooms, and many of these photos will take you back in time to their state of arrested decay.

62 pages, Paperback

Published May 2, 2017

About the author

Angelica R. Jackson, in keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, has published articles on gardening, natural history, web design, travel, hiking, and local history. Other interests include pets, reading, green living, and cooking for food allergies (the latter not necessarily by choice, but she’s come to terms with it). Ongoing projects include short fiction, poetry, novels, art photography, and children’s picture books.

She’s also been involved with capturing the restoration efforts for Preston Castle (formerly the Preston School of Industry) in photographs and can sometimes be found haunting its hallways. An incurable joiner, she is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (where she previously served as her region's Illustrator Coordinator and Social Media Coordinator), and several other writing organizations.

She shares a home in California's Gold Country with a husband and far too many books (if that's even possible). She is the author of the award-winning Faerie Crossed young adult urban fantasy series, and her photos are collected in Capturing The Castle: Images of Preston Castle (2006-2016). Stay, Girl is the latest release as of 2025

Reviews

[Kelley York · Rating 5 out of 5]

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this book is full of history. Angelica has some stunning, candid photos of Preston Castle, showing off its eeriness and beauty. Totally worth having on your book shelf. She does indeed capture the castle.