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September 20, 2005
American Castle
It all began with a haunted island... Pollepel Island. And before you knew it, damsels were being rescued, legends were being made, and wars were being fought! On Pollepel Island...
... And fake Scottish castles were being constructed. Namely, Bannerman's Castle: a full-scale castle, personally designed by eccentric ammunition dealer, Francis Bannerman, to emulate the grand Scottish castles of his homeland. And for 17 long years, Bannerman worked away on his cement and stone marvel... but he died in 1918, before it was completed.
Two years later, in 1920, an accidental explosion destroyed part of Bannerman's creation. In 1969, there was another huge explosion and fire, the flames of which could be seen from as far away as 25 miles. These days, the interior of the castle is mostly in ruins... a shell of a castle (hard-hat required during the guided tour).
Bannerman's Castle links:
• Tour of Bannerman's – Hudson Valley Ruins
• Bannerman's History – Wikipedia
• Touring Bannerman's – Poughkeepsie Journal
• Photos of the Castle
• Bannerman's Castle Trust
September 20, 2005 | Permalink
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Comments
This is all in my neck of the woods, yet I've never seen or heard of Bannerman's Castle, which just shows how self absorbed a New Yorker can be....I guess I'll have to check it out now. Actually that gives us something to do this weekend now that I think of it. Thanks for the heads-up.
Posted by: rgmb | Sep 20, 2005 2:28:55 PM
