Gillette Castle

This stone mansion with unique decor & a medieval-style facade belonged to actor William Gillette.

"Stage actor, playwright, and director William Gillette originally built this castle towering over the Connecticut river as his private residence back in 1919. Designed to appeal like Medieval ruins, the castle boasted thousands of refinements created by local craftsmen, including the 47 unique doors (no two within the structure are the same), the light switches carved of wood, built-in couches and, perhaps most strangely, a series of hidden mirrors that allowed Gillette to spy on visitors from the master bedroom. Dying without leaving behind a child, Gillette wrote in his will that the castle, which he dubbed Seventh Sister, should never be in the possession of a “blithering sap-head who has no concept of where he is or with what [he is] surrounded.” The state of Connecticut took over the property in 1943 and it has since become a state park complete with hiking trails and a museum." [Time Out]

Castle / State Park

Website: Gillette Castle

Address: 67 River Rd, East Haddam, CT 06423