Bannerman's Castle is an abandoned military surplus warehouse located on Pollepel Island in the Hudson River near Beacon, New York. It was built in the style of a castle by businessman Francis Bannerman VI. It remains one of a very small number of structures in the United States which can properly be called a castle. Pollepel Island is sometimes referred to as Bannerman's Island. The castle carries a text Bannerman's Island Arsenal. Surplus can refer to: budget surplus, the opposite of a budget deficit economic surplus This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Pollopel Island is an island in the Hudson River. ... View of the Hudson in the 1880s showing Jersey City The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. ... Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York. ... The Alcázar of Segovia, Spain A castle (from the Latin castellum, diminutive of castra, a military camp, in turn the plural of castrum or watchpost), is a fort, a camp and the logical development of a fortified enclosure. ...

History

Pollepel Island was discovered during the first navigation of the Hudson River by early Dutch settlers in New York. There are accounts Native Americans believed the island was haunted and European settlers also told tales about it, including the legend of Polly Pell. It is also said that sailors making their first journey up the Hudson River were left stationed at the island until the ship returned as a rite of passage. During the American Revolution, the island was used as part of a chain of naval obstructions intended to thwart British warships. Pollopel Island is an island in the Hudson River. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... -1... View of the Hudson in the 1880s showing Jersey City The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. ... Before the Revolution: The 13 colonies are in red, the pink area was claimed by Great Britain after the French and Indian War, and the orange region was claimed by Spain. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga class cruiser. ...

Francis Bannerman VI purchased the island in 1900 for use as a storage facility for his growing surplus business. After the Spanish-American War Bannerman bought 90% of the US army surplus, including estimated 30 million rounds of ammunition. Because his storeroom in New York City was not large enough, in December 1901 he begun to build an arsenal on Pollepel. Bannerman designed the buildings himself and let the constructors interpret the designs on their own. The Arsenal was finished 1908. 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... The Spanish-American War took place in 1898, and resulted in the United States of America gaining control over the former colonies of Spain in the Caribbean and Pacific. ... 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Bannerman built warehouses and a residence in the style of a large complex of castles, often using items from his surplus collection for decorative touches. The castle, clearly visible from the shore of the river, served as a giant advertisement for his business. On the side facing the eastern bank of the Hudson, Bannerman constructed a large sign reading "Bannerman's Island Arsenal" easily visible to the riders of the New York Central railroad. The sign may still be seen by riding on Metro-North Railroad's Hudson line. Both Metro-North and Amtrak trains run on this line. Inside Green Logistics Co. ... Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ... The New York Central Railroad, known simply as the New York Central in its publicity and with the AAR reporting mark of NYC, was a railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. ... Metro-North (officially MTA Metro-North Railroad) is a suburban commuter railroad running service from New York City to the northern suburbs in New York State and Connecticut. ... Amtrak is the trademark name of an intercity passenger train system created on May 1, 1971 in the United States. ...

Most of the building were devoted to the stores of army surplus but Bannerman built another castle in a smaller scale on top of the island near the main structure as a residence.

Arsenal and the island were left vacant in the 1960's. In August 8, 1969 fire devastated the Arsenal and most of the roofs collapsed. August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

The Castle Today

Today, the castle is property of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is mostly in ruins. While the exterior walls still stand, all the internal floors and non-structural walls have since burned down. The island has been the victim of vandalism, trespass, neglect and decay. Rather than rough currents in the water around the island it is actually several old bulkheads and causeways that submerge at high tide that present a serious navigational hazard. The castle is not open for regular tours. However, guided hard hat tours have recently been made available by Bannerman's Castle Trust (see below.) The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation operates (as of 2004): 168 state parks 35 state historic sites 76 developed beaches 53 water recreational facilities 27 golf courses 39 full service cottages 818 cabins 8355 campsites 18 nature centers 1350 miles of trails See List of... Vandalism is the conspicuous defacement or destruction of a structure or symbol. ... In law, trespass can be: the criminal act of going into somebody else’s land or property without permission; it is also a civil law tort that may be a valid cause of action to seek judicial relief and possibly damages through a lawsuit. ... Yellow hard hat A hard hat is a type of helmet predominately used in workplace environments such as construction sites to protect the head from injury such as from falling objects. ...

External links

• Bannerman's Castle Trust (http://www.bannermancastle.org/pages/main.html)
• Bannerman's Castle Gallery (http://www.bannermancastle.org/pages/gallery.html)