Bannerman Castle

Bannerman Castle, New York

An old castle sits on a tiny island in the Hudson River, right where New York State meets the water. Built by a Scottish arms dealer in 1901, Bannerman Castle started as a huge weapons depot before fires and storms took their toll.

Here are some interesting facts about this odd castle that looks like it belongs in Europe, not upstate New York.

Local Tribes Once Feared the Ghost-Filled Isle

The island had no people living on it before Frank bought it. Though the locals claimed it to be haunted, the scary tales made it a good hiding place.

Stories speak of the Storm King’s little monsters visiting the rocky spot, where Dutch sailors who drank too much were left to recover until boats returned.

One fun tale says a girl named Polly Pell got stuck there after falling through ice, which might be how the place got its name.

American Rebels Tried to Block British Ships Here

During the War for Freedom, the new Americans tried to stop British ships by putting 106 sharp logs with iron tips between the island and land across the river.

One of these sharp log points is now shown at Washington’s old base in Newburgh, New York. Since the war, only five groups have owned the island.

The spot has been a key place to watch the river for more than 200 years.

A 14-Year-Old Boy Started an Arms Empire

At 14 in 1865, Frank started by selling scrap metal from the harbor. His big break came when he bought leftover Civil War gear that no one else wanted.

Frank’s shop grew from selling scrap to full ships bought at Navy sales. After the Spanish-American War, he bought most of the U.S. Army’s surplus.

His buyers were as wide as Buffalo Bill, early movie makers, and WW1 forces.

The Shop That Owned Custer’s Last Stand Guns

Frank’s shop sold all kinds of odd things: old guns from the Battle of Yorktown, boxes of Civil War clothes never opened, and items from trips to the North Pole.

When Sitting Bull surrendered his group’s guns, Frank bought 50 rifles from the Battle of the Little Bighorn, some still with bullets.

He crafted new guns from broken ones, mixing parts in ways that’ll surprise you. He also acquired pieces from the USS Maine (ship that exploded in Cuba in 1898).

A Scottish Man’s Dream Rose on the Hudson

Frank loved the castles from his homeland and brought that style to New York. His castle was built not by pros, but by local farmers who followed their instincts.

The walls resemble folk art more than a real fort, with rough hand-applied cement. Frank even built a wall around the island using thousands of rifles as support rods.

He added small guard towers by the dock and built a working drawbridge. Frank repurposed war items as house parts in ways no one else imagined.

The First Big Ad Space Floated in the Hudson

Frank turned his entire castle into a giant ad for his shop, one of the area’s first big promotions, long before billboards and neon lights.

He painted the walls facing the river and train tracks white, then put his shop name and NYC address in giant letters.

The castle’s west wall once boldly read “Bannerman’s Island Arsenal.” Train riders on the Metro-North Hudson line can still spot the faded sign today.

The Bang That Shook Towns Miles Away

In August 1920, 200 pounds of shells and gunpowder blew up in a side building, taking out part of the place. The boom was so loud that towns miles away heard it.

The blast broke every window, knocked down towers, and threw a 25-foot chunk of wall over 1,000 feet to the train tracks, which stopped trains for a day.

Frank’s wife nearly died when falling rocks struck near her bedroom, a dangerous blast that showed why New York City had forced his shop out years earlier.

Helen’s Plants Still Grow After 100 Years

While Frank filled their house with war items, Helen beautified the grounds.

Helen, who was born in Ireland, made sure their small home had a big window that looked out at the river and West Point.

Mrs. Bannerman adorned the paths and flat areas with flowers and bushes. Some of her plants still thrive on the island today, over 100 years later.

A Folk Art Project That Grew Into a Landmark

Even though Frank sold war gear, he wrote in his books that he hoped his gun stash would one day be seen as “The Museum of the Lost Arts.”

Frank attended church regularly, helped establish a health center, and sold town guns that sat unused, to people at gun displays in local parks.

About half of all the old show guns in US town parks came from his shop. His son David found the island while out in a small boat.

Visit The Ruins That NYC Tried to Hide

You can now take boat tours to see this old spot from May to October. The Bannerman Castle Trust runs trips from towns like Beacon and Newburgh.

You’ll pay $40 for grown-ups and $35 for kids. The tour groups let you walk on the paths where Frank and Helen once lived.

Once seen as too risky to visit, the island now lets you step back in time to when a small man with big dreams built his castle just an hour from NYC.

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