Bannerman and the Hudson River’s Ruined Castle

Hudson Valley, New York

Just 50 miles north of New York City, Pollepel Island (Pollepel means pot ladle in Dutch) consists of a rocky 6.5-acre outcropping. The Irish arms merchant Francis Bannerman built this castle on this little island as an arms warehouse.

Born in 1851, Bannerman immigrated from Ireland to the U.S. with his parents at the age of three, and by 1858 lived in Brooklyn. At the end of the Civil War, Bannerman set up a business in 1865 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard purchasing surplus military equipment. Bannerman set up a military surplus store on Atlantic Avenue. Still, over time, equipment storage needs grew, as well as the risk of large amounts of ammunition stored at Atlantic and Nevins Streets. Bannerman purchased Pollepel Island in 1900, with the idea of using the site for surplus ammunition storage in mind.

Bannerman continued to build the castle as a combination of residence, storage warehouse, and advertising folly until he died in 1918. Shortly thereafter, in 1920, a munitions explosion tore apart much of the castle — perhaps his idea of moving the gunpowder from the bustling Atlantic Avenue was an inspired idea. The arsenal was then effectively vacant, until 1967 when the State of New York purchased back the property and gave the military relics to the Smithsonian.

Another series of fires, and neglect, have given the building its current precarious and dangerous visage. The island is currently operated by the Bannerman Castle Trust, which organizes public tours and whose proceeds go to stabilizing the structure.