The 30-minute boat ride to Pollepel—often referred to as Bannerman’s Island—is a blissful respite from the afternoon heat. The principal feature on the island is Bannerman's Castle, an abandoned military surplus warehouse. On a hot day in 1920, Helen was relaxing in a hammock when she got up to grab a drink. On August 8th, 1969 a large fire destroyed much of the buildings. Visitors approaching from the north can still make out the words “Bannerman’s Island Arsenal” cast in concrete on one of the castle’s remaining walls. City dwellers have always found solace just north of New York in the Hudson River Valley. Several old bulkheads and causeways that submerge at high tide present a serious navigational hazard. On-island guided hard hat tours were recently made available through the Bannerman's Castle Trust. Time, the elements, and maybe even the goblins of the island will take their toll of some of the turrets and towers, and perhaps eventually the castle itself, but the little island will always have its place in history and in legend and will be forever a jewel in its Hudson Highland setting.”. The views of both sides of the Hudson are beautiful but mostly uneventful—until I spot the remains of Bannerman’s Castle rising like a decorative, concrete Phoenix from the lush vegetation on its island home. | Photo: Alexandra Charitan New York State bought the island in 1967 and it currently belongs to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The origins of this fairytale-like structure are surprisingly humble. Bannerman Castle is about 50 miles of New York City. Undeterred, Bannerman purchased the island for $1600 (about $50,000 today). It was built by a Scotsman in the early days of the 20th century as a storage place for munitions. Bannerman's Castle is on Pollepel Island, in the Hudson River just north of Cold Spring. The Bannerman Castle tour is excellent if you are into history or just want to see the most amazing views of the Hudson River. In 1900, Francis Bannerman VI bought the island to store ammunition for his prosperous military surplus business; more specifically, when he bought 90% of the US army surplus after the Spanish-American War ended and needed a place outside of New York City to store it all. No one writes love letters about August in New York City. Francis Bannerman VI was born in Northern Ireland in 1851. In 2005, The Bannerman Castle Trust, Inc. became the official “friends” organization for Bannerman Island and New York State Parks. “She would’ve been a goner had she not gotten thirsty at the right moment,” says Pat. The interior of the castle—made of wood treated with kerosene—was completely destroyed. Equipment of every description as well as ammunition were shipped there for storage until sold. The castle is easily visible to the riders of the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson line and Amtrak. While she was in the kitchen, a powder house on the island—full of live artillery shells—exploded. For more information, visit http://bannermancastle.org. Bannerman is a name of Scottish origin (see Clan Bannerman) and may refer to . People scramble to take photos and our boat slows down as we approach, stopping entirely for 20 minutes as we wait for kayakers to paddle away from the dock (in 2015, a man died when his kayak overturned near the island and his fiancée pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide). Bannerman Castle, Cold Spring: Address, Phone Number, Bannerman Castle Reviews: 4.5/5. Bannerman Castle: Good history - See 86 traveler reviews, 121 candid photos, and great deals for Cold Spring, NY, at Tripadvisor. Boats depart from Beacon or Newburgh. They hired a munitions expert to clean out the remaining supplies, and the Smithsonian was invited to take a look at the collection, which included weapons from ancient Zulu warriors and the Bronze Age. Bannerman’s Castle had everything you would expect of a proper castle, including terraced gardens, a dry moat full of thistle plants, a drawbridge, a portcullis (a heavy, vertically-closing gate made with metal spikes), and a promenade around the island’s perimeter made from sunken barges. Keep exploring with the Roadtrippers mobile apps. Unfortunately, an explosion early on, a fire, and time has done its part to turn a castle … At first, Parks allowed the BCT to hold a kayak tour of the island once a month. Anything you plan or save automagically syncs with the apps, ready for you when you hit the road! Bannerman collected scrap from the harbor and began acquiring other materials, which he soon transformed into a business known as “Bannerman’s.” Bannerman Castle unveils the history of this site: an island arsenal, built to resemble a Scottish castle. “He wasn’t just the boss and the brains, he got his hands dirty,” says Pat. The story begins in 1900, when Francis Bannerman VI purchased the island�officially Pollepel but later called Bannerman�s Island�for storing used military goods purchased from the government. The name of Bannerman is said to have originated during the battle of Bannockburn in 1314 when a family member heroically rescued a captured banner from … Bannerman died in 1918, but his wife continued to visit the island until the early 1930s. Out on Pollepel Island on the Hudson River in New York, Bannerman Castle is a piece of the past that you'll be fascinated to see overrun by Mother Nature. During the 1690's, the King of England demanded allegiance from the Scottish clans. The Trust gives weekend tours, hosts movie nights, and other events on the island from May through October. The Trust is dedicated to preserving Bannerman Castle as an educational, cultural, historical, and recreational facility that promotes heritage tourism in the Hudson Valley. Alexandra is the managing editor of Roadtrippers Magazine. The Bannerman Castle Trust organization, however, ascribes the name to a folklore tale about a young girl named Polly Pell becoming stranded on the island.Too most, it's crumbling hulk of intricate concrete and brickwork that was once Bannerman's Arsenal. In a nod to his Scottish heritage, Bannerman decided that his next warehouse would resemble a castle. early 1900’s, Bannerman Family Papers MS 2906 If you have ever taken the Metro-North Hudson Line train to Poughkeepsie then you are probably familiar with the haunting castle ruins that sit on a small island between the Beacon and Cold Spring stations. His father left to fight in the Civil War and Bannerman picked up jobs as a messenger and a courier to help support his family. Despite its fantastical appearance and isolated location, no pirates or princesses were involved in its construction. Also Known As: Bannerman's Castle, Pollepel Island; Genre:Arsenal; Comments: 628; Built:1908; Opened:1908; Age:112 years; Closed:1959; Demo / Renovated:N/A; Decaying for:61 years; Last Known Status:Preserved One side of the castle carries the words "Bannerman's Island Arsenal". Mr. Bannerman began construction on a simulated Scottish castle and simple residence in 1901. This little piece of history is well worth taking the boat ride and tour of the island. Bannerman Castle: An interesting History - See 86 traveler reviews, 121 candid photos, and great deals for Cold Spring, NY, at Tripadvisor. The history of Hudson Valley’s abandoned Bannerman Castle and how to visit Posted On Tue, February 4, 2020 By Lucie Levine In Features , History , Upstate VIEW PHOTO IN GALLERY Francis Bannerman VI, the castle’s eponym, was born on March 24, 1851, in Northern Ireland, according to Civil Registration records for Ireland, and emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1854. Legend has it that the Macdonald clan was slow to give the British their oath of loyalty. Helen died in 1931 and the Bannermans are buried with their children in a family plot in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. The collection was generously donated by Virginia Betts in 2011. The shell remained standing over the years while the summer house was stripped by vandals and battered by storms. The building that faces the river, 'the castle" is actually a munitions storage facility for the family business that burned down in the late 1960's. bannerman castle Bannerman Castle is located on Pollopel island, 6 3/4 acres of mostly rock in the Hudson river near Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. In 1969, a conflagration, believed to be arson, left the castle a shell. Hotéis perto de Bannerman Castle: The Swann Inn of Beacon (5.04 km) Chrystie House Bed and Breakfast (4.36 km) The Storm King Lodge (8.21 km) Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast (11.46 km) Springhill Suites By Marriott Fishkill (10.72 km) Veja todos os hotéis perto de Bannerman Castle … Three years later, he emigrated to the U.S. with his parents, and the family settled near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Bannerman Castle is only accessible by boat. Ever the businessman, this was also a way to—literally, and figuratively—cut corners, giving Bannerman “more bang for his buck,” says Pat. In 1901, he used his own black powder to blast a section of the island level, then erected his first warehouse, a plain concrete building, upon which he hung a large banner advertising his Broadway store. In 1897, he opened a seven-story military surplus store on Broadway in New York City; the bottom floors were for his retail business and the top floor housed a museum. Bannerman Island, ca. In December 2009, a heavy wet snow fell in the Hudson Valley and about 50 percent of the castle—including the entire front and half of the east wall—collapsed overnight. Tall tales, trip guides, & the world’s weird & wonderful. According to Pat, Bannerman believed that “any man who owns an island and a castle should have a crest,” so he designed his own, including symbols depicting his family’s heritage and his business interests. Since 1994, nonprofit Bannerman Castle Trust has worked in conjunction with the Parks Department to maintain the castle. The castle's builder, Frank Bannerman VI, was a Scottish patriot, very proud of his descent from one of the few Macdonald's to survive the massacre at Glencoe in 1692. Bannerman would eventually break off from his father and open a competing store nearby, but the father admired Bannerman’s business sense, acknowledging that competition was good for both businesses. No one knows exactly how it happened and no one was hurt, but the blast was heard from 50 miles away and broke windows on both banks of the Hudson River.