Gillette Castle State Park

The Gillette Castle State Park is a medieval looking building made of stone with a table track-way, built-in couches and the woodcarvings of William Gillette. It is located on one of the Seven Sisters hills in East Haddam, Connecticut and was owned by Gillette, an actor, playwright and director. The castle sits on an 84 acres estate and features 24 rooms. The castle was purchased by the State of Connecticut in 1943 and since Gillette stated in his will he did not want his home owned by " some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded," he would be no doubt pleased with the effort to preserve and share the home and land surrounding it. The castle was built of local fieldstone and supported by steel and it took 20 men five years to complete the construction. There are 47 doors within the castle, no two are alike. Each of the doors has an external latch carved of the wood. The trails surrounding the home follow the three mile long railroad that runs through the property. Gillette had his common walking paths constructed with near-vertical steps, wooded trestles and stone-arched bridges. The grounds are also home to a goldfish pond, a vegetable center and a railroad station.