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Gillette Castle State Park
Nearby Parks:
Selden Neck State Park
Brainard Homestead State Park
Haddam Meadows State Park
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Haddam Island State Park
Nehantic State Forest
Higganum Reservoir State Park
George Dudley Seymour State Park
Hurd State Park
Chatfield Hollow State Park
Salmon River State Forest
Millers Pond State Park
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Hammonasset State Park
Rocky Neck State Park
Meshomasic State Forest
Trimountain State Park
Reeves Lookout State Wildlife Area
Durman Meadows State Wildlife Area
Wadsworth Falls State Park
Connecticut River State Wildlife Area
Cromwell Meadow State Wildlife Area
Glastonbury Meadows State Wildlife Area
Black Pond State Wildlife Area
Cockaponset State Forest
Harkness Memorial State Park
Dinosaur State Park
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| State Park Overview: |
 | It looks like a medieval fortress, but a step inside the stone castle reveals the built-in couches, table trackway, and woodcarvings that all point to the creative genius that was William Gillette.
The Castle is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day. Staff are available to assist with questions about the Castle interior and its history. |
| Nature of the Area: |
| The newly refurbished Gillette Castle State Park is an excellent locale to examine the Hebron formation, consisting of gneiss and pegmatite intrusions. Although individual trails are not marked, the spaghetti bowl setting lends nicely to exploration of the Hebron formation, the only rock formation within the Park. The coarse grained pegmatites, a member of the Hebron formation, are especially interesting to mineral lovers, as many diverse minerals can be observed throughout these pegmatites.
The Hebron formation consists of a calcite and quartz-rich gneiss. A metamorphic rock, gneiss (pronounced "nice") was subjected to intense heat and pressure during formation. Gneiss is easily identifiable by the segregation of light and dark minerals giving it a banded texture. Gneiss usually consists of mostly elongated and granular, as opposed to platy, minerals. At Gillette Castle State Park, the gneiss is layered and is greenish-gray in color, due in part to the green mineral diopside. In addition to diopside, quartz, plagioclase, and biotite are minerals associated with the Hebron Gneiss.Photograph of shale-like Hebron Gneiss outcrop with hammer for scaleThe Hebron Gneiss at Gillette Castle State Park is very well layered. However, the thickness of these layers varies from outcrop to outcrop. For example, some outcrops are very thickly bedded, whereas others are almost shale-like in theirthickness.
Pegmatites in the Hebron formation typically are white or light-gray rocks containing reddish brown biotite, tourmaline, and garnet as accessory minerals. Pegmatite is an igneous rock that formed from molten rock buried deep below the surface of the Earth. Since the molten rock was well insulated beneath the surface it cooled very slowly, allowing the crystals to grow very large. The pegmatite crystals of the Hebron formation are approximately 3 cm in length. Generally small, pegmatite intrusions usually have the same composition as granite, only coarser. Furthermore, pegmatite intrusions are of great interest to mineral collectors because they may contain a variety of rare minerals. One mineral of interest, black tourmaline, is abundant near the contacts, in small prisms lying parallel to the contact surface. Since this is a State Park, mineral and rock collecting is prohibited.
Given that Gillette Castle State Park is located only a few miles away from the Honey Hill fault, a very large, old fault, much of the pegmatite is in the shape of lenses and layers and shows distinct pinch-and-swell structures, known as boudinage. Boudinage, which is French for sausage, is a term used to describe the way that layered rocks break up under extensional stress (Figure 5a and 5b). In addition to boudinage, other structural geology features seen at Gillette Castle State Park include folds and a drag fault (Figure 5c). Small-scale features such as small folds and faults are younger than the deformation that produced the laminar gneisses. The steps leading up to the Castle's main entrance are of another rock type, schist. Like gneiss, schist is a metamorphic rock that has undergone intense heat, pressure, and hot fluids. By definition, schist contains more than 50% platy and elongate minerals such as mica and amphibole. This high percentage of platy minerals allows schist to be easily split into thin flakes or slabs. This particular schist has a very high concentration of white mica, giving it a vitreous, or shiny, nature. In addition to white mica, glassy, red garnet crystals up to 5 mm in diameter are clearly visible in the steps as well. The garnets are special not only because they are so large, but also since they are euhedral, meaning that their ideal crystal shape is nearly perfect. In addition, they are the Connecticut state mineral. The new visitor center has similar schist with garnets in its steps. |
| Reviews By Park Visitors: |
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just beautiful!!!
We have been to the castle too many times to count. It is just so lovely, you must go see it.
Written by dunkychunk
26-May-2008
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JUST BEAUTIFULL
Hi,I live in Uruguay S.America and lived in Ct from 9 to 19 years of age,went many times with my parents and brother to Gillette Castle.Went back to S.A. got married and have 2 children.Visited the States 3 times with them and all loved THE CASTLE.Planning the 4th trip....
Written by Mariella
15-Dec-2009
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| Camping: |
| Three public camps along the Connecticut River at Hurd, Gillette Castle and Selden Neck State Parks are managed by the Department of Environmental Protection for your enjoyment. The campsites are available from May 1 through September 30 for overnight stops by those traveling on the river. |
| History of the Area: |
| Atop the most southerly hill in a chain known as the Seven Sisters, William Hooker Gillette, noted actor, director, and playwright, built this one hundred and eighty-four acre estate, the Seventh Sister. The focal point of his effort was a twenty four room mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle.
Purchased by the State of Connecticut in 1943 from the executors of Mr. Gillette's will, Gillette Castle and the adjoining property with its fine woodlands, trails, and vistas are now administered for the enjoyment of present and future generations. This apparently would have pleased Gillette, since his will gave specific directions to see that the property did not fall into the hands "of some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded." This statement also points out the value Gillette placed upon his estate and the apprehension he felt about its disposition.
Gillette designed the castle and most of its contents personally, periodically checking every phase of their construction. Built of local fieldstone supported by a steel framework, it took twenty men five years (1914-1919), to complete the main structure. Gillette began his semi-retirement in his new home; and in the following years, he supervised the many thousands of refinements created by local craftsmen.
The woodwork within the castle is hand-hewn southern white oak. Of the forty-seven doors within the structure, there are no two exactly the same. And each door has a handsome external latch intricately carved of wood. Even the Castle's furnishings are indications of Gillette's inspirations. The built-in couches, a movable table on tracks, and light switches of carved wood all point to his creative genius.
Outside on the grounds, Gillette's influence is no less in evidence. The trails often follow, over trestle and through tunnel, the actor's three mile long narrow gauge railroad. Gillette's own walking paths were constructed with near-vertical steps, stone-arch bridges, and wooded trestles spanning up to forty feet. Other outdoor attractions include a vegetable cellar, the railroad station (Grand Central), and Gillette's goldfish pond.
Gillette was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1853, the son of former U.S. Senator Francis Gillette and his wife Elizabeth Daggett Hooker Gillette, a descendent of Thomas Hooker, the founder of Hartford. As a child, Gillette was captivated with the stage and acting pursuits, an interest that his parents did not encourage. At age thirteen, he reputedly had built a small stage and amused himself by frequently giving puppet shows for his friends. At age twenty, he left home to follow his chosen career; but success was slow in developing. He attended classes at numerous colleges including Trinity, Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and College of the City of New York, but never received a degree. His first recognition as an actor was attained when the lead became ill in "Broken Hearts" at the Boston Museum, and Gillette's stand-in performance was well received. This led to other and better roles for Gillette. He is most famous for his portrayal of "Sherlock Holmes" in his acting abilities and style. Besides his activities as an actor and playwright, Gillette is known to have written two novels, invented many trick stage props and lighting techniques, and often produced and directed the plays in which he appeared. After his semi-retirement in 1910, Gillette was welcomed by theatergoers countless times during his four revival tours. His last performance was at the Bushnell in Hartford in 1936, the year before his death. |
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| Area Accommodations |
|  | Copper Beech Inn - Ivoryton, CT
Selected by Connecticut Magazine as 'BEST COUNTRY INN' for 3 consecutive years, the Inn is a Beautiful Restored Turn-of-the-Century Inn with 22-Rooms and two top rated AAA Four-Diamond Restaurant.
Price Range: $150 - $375
Web Site: http://www.copperbeechinn.com |
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| | B&Bs / Inns | | | | |
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...vacation cabin, weekend getaway, log cabin rental, romantic cottage, vacation home, resort, hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, country inn, campground, RV park, horseback riding stable, canoe livery, river rafting, outfitting, sporting goods store, guide service, RV rental, etc read more.... |
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| Related Links: |
| Gillette Castle State Park Information - Gillette Castle State Park is located in East Haddam, Connecticut. ... genius that was William Gillette. CONTACT INFORMATION Gillette Castle State Park 67 River Road East Haddam, CT 06423 ... | | Gillette Castle State Park - March 26, 2001 Gillette Castle State Park to Close for 2001 Major Renovation Project Requires Castle and Park Grounds to ... and entire grounds of Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam ... | | Gillette Castle State Park - Descriptive sentence here. ... TUESDAY, MAY 15 2001 Gillette Castle State Park, Rte. 82, River Rd., four miles south of East Haddam, CT, (860) 526-2336. The 184-acre park is named after a rugged stone ... | | Gillette Castle State Park - Gillette Castle State Park East Haddam, Connecticut Mailing Address: 67 River Road East Haddam, CT 6423 Contact: Museum Staff: Position Name Phone Director Posted: 02/02/01; Last Updated: ; By ... | | Connecticut River Valley & Connecticut Shoreline Travel Tourism Visitor Guide Informat - Connecticut River Valley and Connecticut Shoreline Travel and Tourism Guide to Restaurants, Bed and ... hopyard devil's hop yard devils gillette castle state park goodspeed opera house norma terris ... |
| Area Attractions: |
| Gillette Castle is a Viewpoint Exhibit Host Site:
Did you ever wonder what the Connecticut landscape looked like a century ago? Check out ?Viewpoints?, a joint project of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the Connecticut Impressionist Art Trail, and the Department of Environmental Protection. Outdoor exhibits reproduce works of art painted in the 19th Century, with information about the artist and the location. Visit the Impressionist Art Trail Website for a preview, and look for the Viewpoint exhibits on your next visit to the Chester-Hadlyme ferry landing area of Gillette Castle State Park and other host sites. |
| Area Campgrounds | | Odetah Camping Resort
38 Bozrah St Ext
Bozrah, CT
860-889-4144
| Riverdale Farm Campsites
111 River Road
Clinton, CT
860-669-5388
| Wolf's Den Campground
256 Town Street
East Haddam, CT
860-873-9681
| Markham Meadows Campground
7 Markham Road
East Hampton, CT
860-267-9738
| Aces High RV Park
301 Chesterfield Road
East Lyme, CT
| Lake Williams Campground
1742 Exeter Road Route 207
Lebanon, CT
860-642-7761
| Water's Edge Family Campground
271 Leonard Bridge Road
Lebanon, CT
| Camp Niantic-By-The-Atlantic
271 West Main Street
Niantic, CT
860-739-9308
| Totoket Valley RV Park
244 Foxon Road
North Branford, CT
203-484-0099
| Laurel Lock Family Campground
15 Cottage Grove Road
Oakdale, CT
860-859-1424
| Indianfield Campground
306 Old Calchester Road
Salem, CT
860-859-1320
| Salem Farms Campground
39 Alexander Road
Salem, CT
860-859-2320
| Witch Meadow Lake Campground
139 Witch Meadow Road
Salem, CT
860-859-1542
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| Directions: |
| From I-91S: take Exit 22. Route 9S, Exit 7, for a bridge crossing of the Connecticut River. Follow route 82E and park signs.
From I-95N or S: take Exit 69. Route 9N to Exit 6 or 7. For the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, use Exit 6. Follow Route 148 and park signs. The ferry operates spring through fall. |
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