Casco_Castle

Casco Castle

Casco Castle

Resort in South Freeport, Maine, United States (1903–1914)

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]

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The hotel's stone tower, which is still standing today, viewed from the north

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 trolleycar Camilla, of the Portland & Brunswick Street Railway, pictured at the castle's bridge during the winter of 1903 and 1904
  • A 1906 advertisement for the castle in the Board of Trade Journal
  • The castle's tower in 2023, viewed from Casco Bay

Design and construction

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]

References

  1. [1]
    "The Story of Casco Castle". Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Amos Gerald, an electric railway developer, built the Casco Castle hotel in Sout". Maine News Index – Portland Press Herald. 1994-02-18.
  3. [3]
    Starbird, Edwin R. "South Freeport, Maine, Casco Castle". DigitalCommons@UMaine. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  4. [4]
    "South Freeport, Maine, Casco Castle". DigitalCommons@UMaine. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  5. [5]
    "Casco Castle". Meander Maine. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  6. [6]
    McDorr, Zac (2019-04-03). "Coastal History: When trolleys died, so did Brunswick, Freeport attractions". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  7. [7]
    Annual Report, Volume 45, Maine Board of Railroad Commissioners (1903), p. 255
  8. [8]
    "Portland and Brunswick Street Railway letterhead, ca. 1906". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  9. [9]
    Transportation Bulletin: Trolleys to Brunswick, Maine 1896-1937, O. R. Cummings (1966) p, 28
  10. [10]
    "Casco Castle, South Freeport, ca. 1910". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  11. [11]
    "Casco Castle tower, South Freeport, ca. 1925". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  12. [12]
    "Casco Castle. Freeport, Me.: 1900s–1930s" - Metropolitan Museum of Art
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