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Bannerman Castle: The Arsenal of the Hudson
Perched on Pollepel Island in the Hudson River, Bannerman Castle is a crumbling Scottish-style fortress built in 1901 by Francis Bannerman VI. He was a Scottish immigrant who made his fortune selling military surplus. Bannerman needed a safe place to store his massive arsenal, so he designed the castle himself, complete with turrets and towers. After a series of explosions and a devastating fire in 1969, the castle was abandoned and nature took over. Today, guided tours are offered, but much of the castle remains off-limits and the story of Bannerman’s eccentric ambition is largely forgotten except among local historians. The ruins stand as a ghostly reminder of America’s wilder days of private armories and unchecked dreams.
Fonthill Castle: The Concrete Dreamer
Built from reinforced concrete between 1908 and 1912, Fonthill Castle was the brainchild of Dr. Henry Chapman Mercer, an archaeologist and tile-maker. Located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Fonthill was constructed as Mercer’s home and as a showcase for his Moravian tiles. With 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces, and more than 200 windows, the castle is a labyrinth of creativity and eccentricity. Mercer lived here alone, surrounded by his ceramics and collections. After his death in 1930, the castle was left to the public but Mercer’s life—his quirks, obsessions, and solitary existence—faded from memory. The castle now feels like a maze built by a forgotten wizard.
Neuschwanstein’s American Twin: Lyndhurst Mansion
Lyndhurst Mansion, often compared to Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle, sits on the banks of the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York. Built in 1838 for former New York City mayor William Paulding Jr., it was later owned by railroad tycoon Jay Gould. After Gould’s death, the estate passed through several hands before falling into neglect. Despite restoration efforts, many tourists overlook the mansion’s dramatic Gothic Revival architecture and the story of its reclusive owners. The vast halls echo with the ambitions and tragedies of industrial America’s forgotten elite.
Gillette Castle: Sherlock Holmes’ American Hideaway
Gillette Castle in East Haddam, Connecticut, is straight out of a storybook. It was designed and built by William Gillette, the actor who famously portrayed Sherlock Holmes on stage. Completed in 1919, this stone fortress features secret passageways and trick locks. After Gillette’s death in 1937, the castle was almost lost to developers, and only became a state park after public outcry. The stories of Gillette’s eccentric habits and his reclusive lifestyle have disappeared into the woods, leaving behind a whimsical fortress without its master.
Hammond Castle: The Inventor’s Playground
Hammond Castle, built between 1926 and 1929 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, was the home and laboratory of John Hays Hammond Jr., dubbed “the father of radio control.” Hammond used the castle to showcase his inventions, filling it with artifacts from his European travels. After his death in 1965, the castle languished, overshadowed by Hammond’s more famous contemporaries like Tesla and Marconi. Tours are now available, but the castle’s original purpose as a technological wonderland is largely forgotten.
Berkeley Castle: The Railroad Baron’s Retreat
Tucked away in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, Berkeley Castle was built in the late 1800s by Colonel Samuel Taylor Suit, a wealthy railroad magnate. Suit intended it as a romantic gesture for his young bride, Rosa Pelham. Following Suit’s untimely death, Rosa lived extravagantly before losing the castle to creditors. Today, the castle is privately owned and rarely open to the public. The story of the Suit family’s rise and fall is a local legend, but outside of Morgan County, few remember the castle’s dramatic history.
Belvedere Castle: Central Park’s Overlooked Gem
Belvedere Castle in New York City’s Central Park is often mistaken for a mere folly, but it once served as a weather station and observation deck. Designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould in 1869, it was largely neglected until a restoration in the 1980s. The original caretakers, such as the park’s first meteorologists, are long forgotten, their names buried in city archives. Despite millions of visitors annually, the castle’s history and the stories of those who maintained it remain hidden in plain sight.
Boldt Castle: The Heartbreak Palace
Located on Heart Island in the Thousand Islands of New York, Boldt Castle is a monument to love and loss. George C. Boldt, millionaire owner of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, began building the castle in 1900 as a gift for his wife, Louise. When she died suddenly in 1904, construction stopped instantly. For over 70 years, the unfinished castle stood abandoned, ravaged by weather and vandals. Restoration began in the 1970s, but the tragic love story behind the castle and the Boldt family’s heartbreak is often overshadowed by its current popularity as a wedding venue.
Squire’s Castle: The Mansion That Never Was
In Willoughby Hills, Ohio, Squire’s Castle was built in the 1890s by Feargus B. Squire, an executive at Standard Oil. Intended as the gatehouse for a grand country estate, the project was halted and the main mansion never built. Squire’s family rarely used the structure, and local legend claims it’s haunted. Today, only the shell remains, standing as a lonely monument to Squire’s abandoned dreams. The details of the Squire family’s lives and their motivations have faded from memory, leaving only rumors and speculation.
Castle in the Clouds: Lucknow Estate’s Forgotten Heiress
Castle in the Clouds, or Lucknow Estate, sits atop the Ossipee Mountains in New Hampshire. Built in 1913 by shoe magnate Thomas Gustave Plant, the estate boasted cutting-edge technology for its time, including an elevator and central vacuum system. After Plant’s fortune dwindled, the property changed hands several times, and the original vision was lost. The story of Olive Plant, Thomas’s young wife, and her isolation in the castle rarely makes it into modern tours, obscured by the grandeur of the setting.
Iolani Palace: The Last Royal Residence
Iolani Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the only royal palace in the United States. Built in 1882 for King Kalākaua and Queen Kapiolani, it was a symbol of Hawaiian sovereignty. After the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893, the palace served various government functions, and the royal family’s legacy was suppressed. Only in recent decades has there been a renewed interest in the stories of the last Hawaiian monarchs, whose lives were marked by both opulence and tragedy.
Bettendorf Castle: The Immigrant’s Fairytale
Bettendorf Castle in Fox River Grove, Illinois, was built by Theodore Bettendorf, a Luxembourg immigrant who arrived in America in 1929. Using salvaged materials and his own hands, Bettendorf constructed a medieval-style castle as a tribute to his homeland. After his death, the castle changed ownership several times and fell into neglect. Today, it’s a popular venue for private events, but few visitors know the story of Bettendorf’s humble beginnings and lifelong passion for castles.
Winnekenni Castle: The Chemist’s Folly
Winnekenni Castle in Haverhill, Massachusetts, was built in 1875 by Dr. James R. Nichols, a chemist and agriculturalist. Inspired by English castles, Nichols used local granite and designed the building himself. After Nichols’ death, the property passed through several hands before being purchased by the city in the 20th century. Though it now serves as a community center, the story of Nichols’ fascination with chemistry and medieval architecture is mostly forgotten.
Cragside’s American Cousin: Grey Towers Castle
Grey Towers Castle, located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, was built in 1893 for sugar magnate William Welsh Harrison. Designed by Horace Trumbauer, the castle was inspired by England’s Alnwick Castle. After Harrison’s death, the estate became part of Arcadia University. The lavish parties and extravagant lifestyle of the Harrison family have faded, eclipsed by the building’s current academic use. The castle’s ornate halls now echo with student footsteps, not the laughter of Gilded Age elites.
Castle Post: The Bluegrass Enigma
Castle Post, formerly known as Martin Castle, stands along US Route 60 in Versailles, Kentucky. Construction began in 1969 by Rex Martin, who was inspired by European castles. After a divorce, the unfinished project sat vacant for decades. In the early 2000s, new owners completed the castle and transformed it into a luxury inn. The story of the Martins’ grand vision and subsequent heartbreak is rarely told, lost amid the castle’s reinvention as a modern luxury retreat.
Norumbega Castle: The Telephone Pioneer’s Mansion
Norumbega Castle in Camden, Maine, was built in 1886 by Joseph Barker Stearns, who invented the duplex telegraph. The Queen Anne-style mansion was a technological marvel in its day, filled with innovations. After Stearns’ death, the house passed through several owners and fell into disrepair. Today, it operates as a bed-and-breakfast, but Stearns’ pioneering work and the house’s original significance are often overlooked.
Berkeley Castle (Virginia): The Colonial Ghost
Often confused with its West Virginia namesake, Berkeley Castle in Berkeley, Virginia, is a Georgian-style mansion built in 1726. Once owned by the Harrison family, including a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the estate was the site of the first official Thanksgiving in America. Over the centuries, the castle changed hands many times, and its early American history was overshadowed by more famous plantations. The lives of its early owners, with their triumphs and scandals, have largely disappeared from public consciousness.
Thornewood Castle: The Transplanted Tudor
Located in Lakewood, Washington, Thornewood Castle was built in 1909 by Chester Thorne, using bricks imported from a 400-year-old English manor. The castle served as a private residence before becoming a bed-and-breakfast. Thorne’s vision of bringing old-world charm to the Pacific Northwest faded after his death, and the castle’s history was mostly forgotten until it was used as a filming location for Stephen King’s “Rose Red.” Still, the details of the Thorne family’s ambitions remain largely unknown.
Castello di Amorosa: Napa’s Medieval Mirage
Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, California, was constructed between 1995 and 2007 by Dario Sattui, a fourth-generation vintner. Built to resemble a 13th-century Tuscan castle, it features 107 rooms, a moat, and a drawbridge. Sattui spared no expense, importing materials and artisans from Italy. Despite its popularity as a winery, the story of Sattui’s obsession with medieval architecture and the castle’s painstaking construction is often missed by wine tourists focused on tastings.
Henderson Castle: Kalamazoo’s Forgotten Mansion
Henderson Castle in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was built in 1895 by Frank Henderson, a successful businessman. The Queen Anne-style mansion boasted the latest amenities of the era. After Henderson’s death, the castle went through a series of owners, becoming a boarding house, a retirement home, and finally a bed-and-breakfast. The story of Henderson’s rise from poverty to prosperity, and the decline of the estate after his passing, has become a footnote in local history.
Ha Ha Tonka Castle: Ruins on the Lake
Ha Ha Tonka Castle, overlooking the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, was started by Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder in 1905. Inspired by European castles, Snyder’s dream was cut short by his death in a car accident in 1906, and the castle was completed by his sons. Fires in the 1940s destroyed much of the building, leaving only stone ruins. Today, it’s a state park, but the Snyders’ ambitions and the tragedy that befell the family are rarely discussed, hidden beneath layers of local folklore.
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Besides founding Festivaltopia, Luca is the co founder of trib, an art and fashion collectiv you find on several regional events and online. Also he is part of the management board at HORiZONTE, a group travel provider in Germany.
