Loading AI tools
Resort in South Freeport, Maine, United States (1903–1914) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Casco Castle was a resort in South Freeport, Maine, United States. Built in 1903, it was intended to resemble a castle. Designed by William R. Miller and overlooking Casco Bay immediately to its east, it burned down in 1914. All that now remains is its 185-foot (56 m) tall stone tower, which is now on private property, inaccessible to the public. The tower can be viewed from Harraseeket Road, a few yards closer to the shoreline, or from Winslow Memorial Park,[1] directly to the south across the Harraseeket River.[2] The main part of the building was to the south, with the tower on its northern side, connected by a bridge.[3]
| Casco Castle | |
|---|---|
 The front of the castle in a 1906 postcard, viewed from Castle Road, looking southeast | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | South Freeport, Maine, U.S. |
| Address | Castle Road |
| Coordinates | 43.81877°N 70.11173°W |
| Completed | 1903 |
| Demolished | 1914 |
| Owner | Amos F. Gerald |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | William R. Miller |
.jpg)
In 1903,[4] Amos F. Gerald, of Fairfield, Maine, built the castle as a resort, with rooms for around one hundred guests, to encourage travel by trolleycars. It was his second attempt; the first, Merrymeeting Park, in Brunswick, Maine, was a failure.[5] The grounds featured a hotel and restaurant, a picnic area, a baseball field, and a small zoo.[6] The hotel burned in 1914, but its stone tower was spared. It stands today on private property.
Trolleycars of the Portland & Brunswick Street Railway, of which Gerald was general manager,[7][8] brought visitors from nearby Freeport. After alighting, they crossed 70 foot (21 m) above Spark Creek on a steel suspension bridge, then climbed steep steps to the hotel's entrance.[5]
Casco Castle Park was served by the Harpswell Steamboat Company, whose steamers stopped in South Freeport en route to and from Portland and Harpswell Center.[9]
The advent of the automobile contributed to the decline of trolley and steamer travel, and the resort closed in 1914 after an eleven-year run. It reopened the same year with new owners, but a fire broke out and destroyed the hotel.[5][10] The stone tower survived.[11]
A photomechanical print of Casco Castle is in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[12]
The builder of the all-wood hotel was Benjamin Franklin Dunning. He used gray shingles to make the exterior look like stone. A bridge connected the main building to the stone tower.[5]
The designer of the property's gardens was John J. Turner.[5]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
