A Castle In Connecticut

Spanning 184 acres overlooking a river sits a stone castle - no this is not England this is East Haddam Connecticut. This was the home of William Gillette, an American actor who was most famous for his stage portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.  Built in 1914 the estate was originally named Seven Sister after the chain of hills it sits on.

The focal point of his efforts was a twenty four room mansion, reminiscent of a medieval castle.  Built of local fieldstone which was supported by a steel structure, it took twenty men five years to complete the main structure at a cost of $1.1 million dollars.. An interesting note: The material for the castle was carried up by an aerial-tramway designed by Gillette. 

There are a number of oddities in the castle personally designed by Gillette, such as unusual doorknobs and locks and a system of hidden mirrors for surveillance of the public rooms from the master bedroom.

Southern white oak was used for the woodwork through-out and was hand hewn. There are forty seven doors within the home and no two are exactly the same, each door has an external latch carved of wood.

The furnishings throughout the castle are indications of Gillette's inspirations with built in couches, a movable table on tracks and light switches carved of wood.

Gillette's vision is also evident outside on the grounds with walking paths constructed with near-vertical steps, stone-arch bridges and forty foot high wooden trestles.  There was at one time a miniature railroad (Gillette's pride and joy) with a working steam engine and an electric engine that provided visitors with rides around the estate, this was also designed by Gillette.

Gillette was born in Hartford, Ct. in 1853, his father a former United States Senator
and his mother a descendant of the Reverend Thomas Hooker, the Puritan leader who founded the town of Hartford.    

Wikipedia - William Gillette

At the time of his death in 1937 he was not married and had no children, what many find typical of his temperament is a clause in his will stating that he did not want the property to fall into the hands "Of some blithering saphead, who has no conception of where he is or what he is surrounded by".

Well he need not have worried, in 1943 the State of Connecticut bought the property from his executors along with the adjoining property, the mansions name was also changed at that time to Gillette Castle and the estate became  Gillette Castle State Park. The estate became listed as a historical site in 1986, thus preserving Gillette's wish, his beloved Seven Sister would be kept intact for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

WikiPedia - Gillette Castle

In 2002 the park reopened after a four year restoration costing $11 million, it now includes a museum, park, and many theatrical celebrations. It receives 100,000 annual visitors. The castle is No. 86002103 on the National Register of Historic Places.  It remains one of the top three tourist attractions in the state.

Our oldest daughter and her beautiful family visited Gillette Castle this past week-end, so I would like to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" not only for this post's inspiration but also for allowing me to share the pictures they took on a fun family outing.