Newgate Prison Copper Mines and the Irish Lass Colonial America Romance

Author's Note

In 1707, an intrepid group of businessmen in northwestern Connecticut tried their luck at copper mining. They dug a 25-foot shaft straight down and then began mining sideways from there. Wherever the copper veins ran, in whatever twisting direction, the miners followed.

By 1773 the copper had been depleted and the meandering mine tunnels lay empty. In the meantime, rebellion was fomenting throughout the colonies, and along with it, new lofty ideals. Rather than lopping off hands of criminals or killing them outright, the thought arose to simply lock them away from society for a while.

The mines seemed the perfect solution.

A tavern lay right across the street from the mine entrance. John Viets, the owner, had worked the mines himself in his younger years. Now he offered to act as guard for whatever miscreants would be tossed within. After all, it shouldn't be that hard. You send a man down the shaft, lock the top, and in he stays.

And thus begins my story.

A number of the characters mentioned in this tale are based on real people. The Newgate copper-mines-turned-prison are real and can be visited in person, with the benefit of modern stairs, too. I highly recommend making the trip to experience those twisting tunnels for yourself.

What follows is a fictionalized tale of what might have happened back in these vibrant, tempestuous times, based on contemporary accounts, newspaper reports, court records, and a healthy dose of my own imagination. I grew up in Connecticut and now live right next door in Massachusetts. I adore these wooded rolling hills with a deep-seated passion.

To learn more about the Newgate mines-turned-prison and their history, be sure to check out my Appendices.

Now, on to the story!

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