Most known for adapting and starring in the 1899 play, Sherlock Holmes, William Gillette owned a towering New England castle that now draws 300,000 visitors to New England annually. Known as the “George Clooney” of the 1800s, the actor, producer, and playwright received permission from British writer and physician Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, who wrote the short stories of Sherlock Holmes, which Gillette adapted into the play with Doyle credited as a co-writer.
In his lifetime, he assumed the role on stage more than 1300 times, eventually taking on producing and writing as well.
At the age of 61, with part of the fortune he made as a prominent actor, he built Seventh Sister, his castle, now known as Gillette Castle State Park. Inspired by his longtime portrayal of a spy, the 24 room castle featured puzzle locks, secret doors, and hidden mirrors.
Gillette Castle State Park
William built the castle in the year 1914. The State of Connecticut purchased the castle in 1943 after his passing for $29,000.
In his will, Gillette gave the specific instructions on the future of the castle, writing to ensure the castle was not acquired by:
Some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded.
Well preserved by the state, an estimated 300,000 visitors flock to the castle every year to revel in spectacular river views and the hidden surprises of the majestic castle. The castle straddles the towns of East Haddock and Lyme, Connecticut. The castle rests perched 200 feet above the river and surrounded by over 180 acres of woodlands.
The castle grounds and trails are free, while castle tours (the only way to view the interior) are $2 for children ages 6-12, $6 for those 13 and up, and free for anyone 5 and under.
About William Gillette
Born in 1853 Hartford, Connecticut, Gillette pursued his passion to act after a brief stint at a stock company in New Orleans. At age 20, per Mark Twain’s recommendation, Gillette debuted at the Globe Theater of Boston (modern day Empire Garden) with Twain’s 1875 stage-play, The Gilded Age.
Gillette is credited with constructing the on-stage image of the detective. It is believed that William was a distant relative of King Camp Gillette, inventor of the safety razor.
Find Gillette Castle State Park at:
67 River Rd, East Haddam, Connecticut 06423
