Gillette Castle State Park - Hadlyme, Connecticut
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 41° 25.330 W 072° 25.724
18T E 714870 N 4588814
Gillette Castle State Park contains the former home and grounds of actor William Gillette. It is located at 67 River Rd., Hadlyme, CT.
Waymark Code: WMYHT2
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 06/18/2018
Views: 6
Sources:
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection: (
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Wikipedia: (
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William Gillette (1853 – 1937) was an American actor, playwright, and stage manager who specialized in playing the role of Sherlock Holmes. He designed and built a home and estate overlooking the Connecticut River between 1914 and 1919 and lived there, in semi-retirement, between 1919 and 1937. He expressed the wish that upon his death that his home not be sold to "some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded". In In 1943, the State of Connecticut purchased the property for $5,000, built a visitors center, and converted the area into Gillette Castle State Park.
The unique home is constructed of fieldstone. The interior woodwork is hand-hewn southern white oak. Gillette designed the forty-seven doors each with a unique and intricate latching system. Every room of the home is a testament to Gillette's creative genius.
On the grounds are elaborate stone-arch bridges and wooded trestles Paths with lead down to the Connecticut River. A steam powered railroad once carried down to the river to his houseboat he named Aunt Polly.
Admission to the grounds are free. A tour of the building is $6.00.