Beyond tour opportunities, the Trust also hosts movie nights, lectures, special dinners and theatrical performances in the shadows of the castle.Įditor’s note: The original version of this article was published on February 4, 2020, and has since been updated. You can also visit Bannerman on a variety of kayak tours and through a special Metro North package leaving from Grand Central. According to Insider, the historic haunted mansion known in Auburn as The Castle has a number of opulent features still intact, like its four fireplaces and the ornate wooden staircase. Tours leave from either Newburgh or Beacon and are $40 for adults and $35 for children. A historic and supposedly haunted castle styled mansion in upstate New York is taking offers closing out the auction on Halloween this weekend. While the island is still “abandoned” in that it has no residents save a black rat snake named Frank, the Trust gives tours of the castle from May through October. That year, Beacon, New York resident Neil Caplan founded the Bannerman Castle Trust and raised over a million dollars to stabilize the structure and maintain the island. But since 1992, the island has been publicly accessible for tours. Located in Ossining, Elda Castle is the abandoned home of founder of the. Carrigan via Flickr ccįor decades, Bannerman remained one of New York’s most intriguing abandoned sites, often visited and photographed illegally by urban explorers and ruin-porn hunters. The island and Bannerman Castle were bought by New York State in the late. In 1969, another fire, now thought to have been arson, reduced the castle to a ruin.Ī Bannerman Island tour, photo by T. Bannerman’s family continued living on the island until about 1930, after which time the castle began falling into neglect and disrepair. The explosion, triggered by 200 tons of shells and powder, damaged the castle’s edifice. In 1920, the complex proved why it needed a home on an abandoned island: the powder house blew up. government.Ĭonstruction of the castle persisted through the war, and it still wasn’t quite finished when Bannerman died in 1918. He had so much inventory, in fact, that during World War I, he sold cannons, uniforms, and blankets to the U.S. The castle, which bears Bannerman’s name, was a major advertisement for his business, which continued to thrive. Bannerman himself took to landscaping the grounds. The elaborate design included a suite of buildings including an arsenal, storerooms, and even a summer house with docks, turrets, and a moat. When Bannerman bought the island in 1900, he set about designing his arsenal and storehouse in the style of the Baronial castles he had seen during trips to Scotland. (Bannerman’s arms store wouldn’t be the first time that the island had seen its share of ammunition: During the American Revolution, the continental army had sunk iron-tipped logs around the island, hoping, to no avail, that their fierce points would damage the British fleet.) Pollepel Island fit the bill because it was uninhabited and had been for most of its history, given that Native Americans in the Hudson Valley had considered the island haunted. He then needed somewhere to store his giant cache, far from populated areas. That conflict was a major windfall for Bannerman, and he purchased 90 percent of all captured Spanish arms. Soon, his company, called Bannerman’s, was the world’s largest buyer of military surplus, and Bannerman opened a massive showroom on Broadway and Broome Street, catering to volunteers in the Spanish American War. Now owned by the state of New York, Bannerman is named for Francis Bannerman, a Scottish arms dealer raised in Brooklyn, who bought the island in 1900, and started construction on the castle the following year.īannerman started a military surplus business following the Civil War, while he was still in his teens. Very often, when we’re talking about arms and ammunition in New York City, we’re talking about castles: consider Central Park’s Arsenal or the Park Avenue Armory. Please do not trespass or disturb occupants.War Department aerial photo of Bannerman’s ca. Keep in mind that these are primarily private residences/properties. You'll also find some other "true" castles dotting New York State (although perhaps not for European royalty), including: Of course, if a true castle (on a private island, no less!) is on your New York must-see list, the infamous Boldt Castle is well worth the boat ride and ticket price. Mount Vernon Hotel Museum And Garden, New York City.Governor Reuben Fenton Mansion, Jamestown.Some extravagant and beautifully ornate mansions to check out in New York are: Dansville's Castle on the Hill isn't the only castle in New York, that's for sure! The Empire State is full of unique, historic mansions and fortress-style "castles" that are open for tours.
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