Gillette Castle State Park Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Seventh Sister
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


Location in Connecticut Show map of Connecticut Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	67 River Rd., Lyme, Connecticut
Area	122 acres (49 ha)
Built	1914
Architect	Gillette, William; Porteus-Walker Co.
Architectural style	Bungalow/Craftsman, Medieval
Website	Gillette Castle State Park
NRHP reference No.	86002103
Added to NRHP	July 31, 1986

Gillette Castle State Park is a cool place in Connecticut, United States. It sits high above the Connecticut River in the towns of East Haddam and Lyme, Connecticut. The main building, Gillette Castle, was once the private home of William Gillette. He was a famous American actor known for playing Sherlock Holmes on stage. Gillette lived in this amazing house from 1919 to 1937. In 1943, the state of Connecticut bought the estate for $5,000 to turn it into a public park.

Visiting Gillette Castle
History of the Castle
Images for kids
See also

Visiting Gillette Castle

You can find Gillette Castle State Park at 67 River Road in East Haddam. The castle itself is actually in Lyme. About 350,000 people visit the park every year! It was closed for four years for a big $11 million restoration project and reopened in 2002. Now, the park has a visitors' center, a museum, fun hiking trails, and a nice picnic area where you can relax.

History of the Castle

William Gillette's home was originally called Seventh Sister. The state of Connecticut renamed it "Gillette Castle" when they bought it in 1943. It was built between 1914 and 1919, with more additions finished in 1924. The castle sits on a 184-acre piece of land at the top of a group of hills called the Seven Sisters.

Gillette didn't have any children. In his will, he made sure that his home wouldn't go to anyone who didn't appreciate it. So, in 1943, the State of Connecticut took over the property. They renamed it Gillette Castle State Park. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, which means it's a really important historical site.

How the Castle Was Built

Gillette first planned to build his retirement home on Long Island. But then he saw the beautiful cliffs of the Seven Sisters while traveling on the Connecticut River in his houseboat, "Aunt Polly." He loved the spot so much that he decided to build his castle there instead.

Gillette himself designed the entire home. He watched over every step of the construction. The Porteus-Walker Company, a top building firm from Hartford, Connecticut, did the construction. This company was founded by Robert Porteus, who was Gillette's childhood friend. People have described the castle's style in different ways. Some say it's like a medieval gothic castle, others call it an "American fairy tale mixed with European flair." It's also been called a "weird blending of Victorian and Arts and Crafts" styles. Some even jokingly called it "Gillette's Folly" because it was so unique!

The castle is three stories tall, plus a tower. It has 24 rooms and is about 14,000 square feet. It was built using wood, cement, and local Connecticut field stone, all supported by a strong steel frame. The outside of the house is covered in these field stones. Inside, the woodwork is made from hand-carved southern white oak. Some of the wooden beams were set right into the stones, held only by cement. The walls were built a bit like a stage set, which is interesting because Gillette was an actor! It's been said that it was "a wonder the building didn't collapse" before its big restoration. For insulation, they even used seaweed and paper!

It took 20 workers five years, from 1914 to 1919, to build the castle. It cost over $1 million at that time. While Gillette lived there, he continued to supervise thousands of small improvements made by local craftsmen.

Unique Features Inside the Castle

The inside of the castle shows a style called "Craftsman aesthetic," which was popular at the time. Gillette personally designed many strange and clever things inside his home. These are often seen as examples of his "creative genius."

Special Doors and Locks: There are 47 unique doors and door locks throughout the castle. Each door has a cool, Steampunk-like latch carved from wood. Some of these were "trick locks," making it a puzzle to open the doors!
Custom Furniture: You'll find unique built-in couches and even a movable table that runs on tracks.
Carved Light Switches: Even the light switches were special, carved from wood.
Grand Balcony: There's a large balcony on the upper floor that runs the length of the main room downstairs. The walls on the second floor are quite short. Some people think Gillette designed this to make himself look taller to guests looking up at him from below.
Secret Bar: He had a hand-carved bar that opened with a secret latch.
Spy Mirrors: A series of mirrors above the great hall allowed him to watch visitors from his bedroom. This design might have helped Gillette spy on guests or make dramatic entrances!
Fire System: The castle had its own fire suppression system, including a water tower built into the home's design. This fed a unique manual fire sprinkler on the second floor, overlooking the living room.
Secret Passages: There are secret doors, passages, and even a secret room! A hidden door near the staircase let Gillette appear quickly and dramatically to welcome or surprise his guests. The secret room can only be reached by a staircase that appears when you pull down a handle. It's a small room with its own fireplace.
Grand Staircase: A beautiful wooden staircase leads to the upper floors.

Gillette also decorated his home with many Tiffany lamps made from broken bottle pieces. He even had a heated bed! At one point, Gillette shared his home with up to 17 cats. He designed special, finely crafted cat toys for them.

Gillette's Railroad

Gillette especially loved his 3-mile-long narrow-gauge railroad. It had a complex system of switches, bridges, and even a tunnel! Visitors, including famous people like Albert Einstein, Helen Hayes, and Charlie Chaplin, could ride the train around the estate. The tracks even went along the 100-foot-plus cliffs of the Connecticut River. The railroad had both a steam engine and an electric engine. These engines were later bought by Lake Compounce, an amusement park in Bristol, Connecticut.

The remaining tracks at the castle were removed, and the old train paths were turned into walking trails. However, the original engines were given back to the park in 1992. You can now see them on display at the Visitors' Center. Gillette's "Grand Central Station" train stop is still there, along with a metal cat figure replica on its roof.

The castle grounds also had a root cellar, walking paths with very steep steps, a two-story house for servants, a small old barn, stone-arch bridges, wooden bridges up to 40 feet long, and a fish pond.