Located in East Granby, the “Old Newgate Prison and Copper Mine” was incorporated as a mine in 1705. After being abandoned for two decades, the old shafts were designated the colony’s first prison in 1773. Those incarcerated at Newgate were required to work the mine and confined underground the rest of the time. New forms of labor were introduced over time—all on the surface—while prisoners remained confined below at night. During the Revolution, loyalists were incarcerated there. In 1790, Newgate became the nation’s first state prison. Following its closure in 1827 and several failed attempts at restarting the mine through the 1840s, Newgate became a tourist destination run by private owners until it was purchased by the state and designated a historic site in 1968. Why was a mine presumed a good place for incarceration, prison labor, and tourism?