A gorgeous state park, with an even more beautiful stone castle nestled atop a hill. With an interior sending you back in time, the beauty of the stonework and cozy wilderness atmosphere will surely make you fall in love with the park. Diving deeper into the construction of the building and its history will show the attention to detail, craftsmanship, and value of the land.
The trails spanning the park network vary in difficulty and views. This park features a purple blaze trail, the train trail where the old railroad used to operate. You'll find benches and picnic tables sprinkled along the trails to take a break and enjoy the weather. Go east and you will find yourself face-to-face with the Connecticut River. At the southern tip, you can unload your car-top boat and paddle. So plan a day to visit this versatile park and enjoy your own piece of nature here.
This park offers:
Bathrooms
Castle First Floor
Parking
Picnic Tables
The park grounds are open from 8 am to sunset year-round.
Pets on a leash are permitted in picnic areas and on hiking trails. Pets are not allowed inside buildings or on decks.
Picnic Shelter, Visitor Center, Food concessions (Food concession operates during castle museum season.)
This property was acquired and/or developed with the assistance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Art Trail Site
Gillette Castle is a Viewpoint Exhibit Host Site
Did you ever wonder what the Connecticut landscape looked like a century ago? Check out “Viewpoints”, a joint project of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the Connecticut Art Trail, and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Outdoor exhibits reproduce works of art painted in the 19th Century, with information about the artist and the location. Visit the Connecticut Art Trail website for a preview, and look for the Viewpoint exhibits on your next visit to the Chester-Hadlyme ferry landing area of Gillette Castle State Park and other host sites.
Camping
Three public camps along the Connecticut River at Hurd, Gillette Castle and Selden Neck State Parks are managed by the Department of Environmental Protection for your enjoyment. The campsites are available from May 1 through September 30 for overnight stops by those traveling on the river.
Atop the most southerly hill in a chain known as the Seven Sisters, William Hooker Gillette, noted actor, director, and playwright, built his one hundred and twenty two-acre estate, the Seventh Sister. The focal point of his effort was a twenty-four room mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle.
Purchased by the State of Connecticut in 1943 from the executors of Mr. Gillette's will, Gillette Castle and the adjoining property with its fine woodlands, trails, and vistas are now administered for the enjoyment of present and future generations. This apparently would have pleased Gillette, since his will gave specific directions to see that the property did not fall into the hands "of some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded." This statement also points out the value Gillette placed upon his estate and the apprehension he felt about its disposition.
Gillette designed the castle and most of its contents personally, periodically checking every phase of their construction. Built of local fieldstone supported by a steel framework, it took twenty men five years (1914-1919), to complete the main structure. Gillette began his semi-retirement in his new home; and in the following years, he supervised the many thousands of refinements created by local craftsmen.
The woodwork within the castle is hand-hewn southern white oak. Of the forty-seven doors within the structure, there are no two exactly the same. And each door has a handsome external latch intricately carved of wood. Even the Castle's furnishings are indications of Gillette's inspiration. The built-in couches, a movable table on tracks, and light switches of carved wood all point to his creative genius.
Outside on the grounds, Gillette's influence is no less in evidence. The trails often follow, over trestle and through tunnel, the actor's three-mile-long narrow gauge railroad. Gillette's own walking paths were constructed with near-vertical steps, stone-arch bridges, and wooded trestles spanning up to forty feet. Other outdoor attractions include a vegetable cellar, the railroad station (Grand Central), and Gillette's goldfish pond.
Gillette was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1853, the son of former U.S. Senator Francis Gillette and his wife Elizabeth Daggett Hooker Gillette, a descendent of Thomas Hooker, the founder of Hartford. As a child, Gillette was captivated with the stage and acting pursuits, an interest that his parents did not encourage. At age thirteen, he reputedly had built a small stage and amused himself by frequently giving puppet shows for his friends. At age twenty, he left home to follow his chosen career; but success was slow in developing. He attended classes at numerous colleges but never received a degree. His first recognition as an actor was attained when the lead became ill in "Broken Hearts" at the Globe Theater in Boston, and Gillette's stand-in performance was well received. This led to other and better roles for Gillette. He is most famous for writing and starring in the first authorized stage adaptation of "Sherlock Holmes". Besides his activities as an actor and playwright, Gillette is known to have written two novels, invented many trick stage props and lighting techniques, and often produced and directed the plays in which he appeared. After his semi-retirement in 1910, Gillette was welcomed by theatergoers countless times during his four revival tours. His last performance was at the Bushnell in Hartford in 1936, the year before his death.
The Friends of Gillette Castle developed a video series on Youtube highlighting many of the trails and non-castle points of interests on the grounds:
Train Trail: https://youtu.be/pd1Yl50P-NM
Ferry: https://youtu.be/6emWTpN3dN0
Osaki: https://youtu.be/nee4YKOPTqc
Aunt Polly: https://youtu.be/-YQu9L5nAzY
For more information, visit the CTDEEP State Parks website or contact:
Gillette Castle State Park
67 River Road
East Haddam, CT 06423
From I-91S: take Exit 22. Route 9S, Exit 7, for a bridge crossing of the Connecticut River. Follow route 82E and park signs.
From I-95N or S: take Exit 69. Route 9N to Exit 6 or 7. For the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, use Exit 6. Follow Route 148 and park signs. The ferry operates April 1- November 30 and costs $5 for vehicles during the week and $6 on the weekends.
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