![]() The home Bannerman built for his family on the island.Īfter Bannerman died in 1918, things began to change on the island, and it was permanently vacated in the early 1950s. ![]() What you see today are actually multiple castles built next to each other and designed to resemble European castles, especially Scotland.ĭespite what you might think about viewing them, people never lived in these castles, though there was a small home on the island for a caretaker and another for Bannerman and his family to stay in when visiting. There are great views of the castle from several spots around the island.įor most of the next two decades until his death, Bannerman built multiple castles on the island as armories for his business. Pollepel Island made a perfect spot to safely store his wares. Given his massive storage of explosive munitions, he was encouraged to move his company’s storage out of New York City. At the height of his company, he produced a 300-page magazine that could (and did) outfit entire armies around the world. Tours start at the top of this staircase.īannerman was the world’s foremost arms and military surplus merchant. These tours of Bannerman Castle offer a fantastic look into the history of the island, including its use by Native Americans, Dutch sailors, and the Continental Army, prior to the island being purchased by Francis Bannerman VI in 1900. Once docked on the island, guided tours begin at the top of the hill (roughly 70 steps up from the dock). That being said, the narration is unofficial and not a part of the trip, so your experience may vary. However, it makes for a nice and comfortable ride to the island.Īlong the way, boat operators typically offer a bit of history on the area and point out nearby attractions in Beacon and Newburgh, including George Washington’s Headquarters and Dennings Point. The boat, known as the Estuary Steward, is a relatively small boat with few frills. Boat rides to Bannerman Castle take about 30 minutes each way.īoat rides to Bannerman Castle take roughly 30 minutes to traverse the 3.5-mile distance on the Hudson River. This makes it very convenient both for those with cars and those arriving by rail on the Metro-North Railroad’s Hudson Line (which is only 1:40 from Grand Central Station in New York City). Since Bannerman Castle sits on an island in the middle of the Hudson River, tours start with a 30-minute boat ride that leaves from a dock in Beacon, New York that’s adjacent to the community’s train station. Wanting to learn more about this amazing spot, I signed up for the seasonal tours offered by the Bannerman Castle Trust. This six-acre island, known officially as Pollepel Island, is home to the incredible Bannerman Castle. If you’ve ever stood along the Hudson River near Newburgh, Beacon, or Cornwall-on-Hudson and looked out over the river, it’s likely that you couldn’t help but notice the abandoned castle that sits on an island in the middle of the river. We will make a small commission from these links if you order something at no additional cost to you. It’s pretty phenomenal.” Also phenomenal? Now, when Shadley gazes up at Potic from town, what he sees is not a total ruin but a castle, standing tall.Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. “Just looking out the windows can be a fun experience. “Deer walk through in hordes, foxes, porcupines, wild turkeys, everything imaginable,” he says. And after five years of living there-with a year-plus of around-the-clock time at home-Shadley has had the chance to really soak it all in. Ultimately, however, the most jaw-dropping decorations in this house are what lie out the windows. Two huge pieces of bluestone-scavenged from the property when the team blasted away a bit of the mountain to create space for a garage-were brought in on a forklift and embedded in the concrete floors as tables. Perhaps the most striking pieces in the home are hewn from the literal ground it sits on. ![]() Shadley, tapping into his roots as a scenic painter, created several murals based on 19th-century photographs of nearby sites at the entry, he hung a vintage photograph of hemlock trees that was made for the National Parks Service. Largely, what’s inside either reflects or makes space for the scenery out the window. ![]() ![]() A circa 1913 photograph of Potic Castle, restored by Shadley after it was destroyed by a fire in the 1970s. ![]()
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