Pollepel Island

Pollepel Island is an island in the Hudson River.

Also known as Pollopel Island, Pollopel's Island, and Bannerman Island, it is the site of Bannerman's Castle The name is from the Dutch word pollepel 'ladle'.

Pollepel Island is about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City and about 1,000 feet (300 m) from the Hudson River's eastern shore. It contains about 6.5 acres (26,000 m2) — most of it rock.

The principal feature on the island is Bannerman's Castle, an abandoned military surplus warehouse. It was built in the style of a castle by businessman Francis Bannerman VI (1851–1918). It remains one of a very small number of structures in the United States which can properly be called a castle. Pollepel Island is sometimes referred to as Bannerman's Island. One side of the castle carries the words "Bannerman's Island Arsenal".

Early history

]] Pollepel Island was discovered during the first navigation of the Hudson River by early Dutch settlers in New York, at the "Northern Gate" of the Hudson Highlands. There are accounts Native Americans believed the island was haunted and European settlers also told tales about it, including the legend of Polly Pell, invented to explain the island's name after its Dutch origins had been forgotten. It is also said that sailors making their first journey up the Hudson River were left stationed at the island until the ship returned as a rite of passage.

During the Revolutionary War, patriots attempted to prevent the British from passing upriver by emplacing 106 chevaux de frise (upright logs tipped with iron points) between the island and Plum Point across the river (see Hudson River Chains). Caissons from several chevaux de frise still rest at the river bottom. However, these obstructions did not stop a British flotilla from burning Kingston in 1777. General George Washington later signed a plan to use the island as a military prison, however there has been no evidence that a prison was ever built there.

Bannerman's Castle

Construction and decay

Francis Bannerman VI purchased the island in 1900 for use as a storage facility for his growing surplus business. After the Spanish-American War Bannerman bought 90% of the US army surplus, including a large quantity of ammunition. Because his storeroom in New York City was not large enough, and to provide a safe location to store munitions, in the spring of 1901 he began to build an arsenal on Pollepel. Bannerman designed the buildings himself and let the constructors interpret the designs on their own. Most of the building were devoted to the stores of army surplus but Bannerman built another castle in a smaller scale on top of the island near the main structure as a residence, often using items from his surplus collection for decorative touches. The castle, clearly visible from the shore of the river, served as a giant advertisement for his business. On the side of the castle facing the eastern bank of the Hudson, Bannerman cast the legend "Bannerman's Island Arsenal" into the wall.

Construction ceased at Bannerman's death in 1918. In August 1920, 200 tons of shells and powder exploded in an ancillary structure, destroying a portion of the complex. After the sinking of the ferryboat Pollepel, which had served the island, in a storm in 1950, the Arsenal and island were essentially left vacant. The island and buildings were bought by New York State in 1967, after the old military merchandise had been removed, and tours of the island were given in 1968. However, on August 8, 1969, fire devastated the Arsenal, and the roofs and floors were destroyed. The island was placed off-limits to the public.

The castle today

Today, the castle is property of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is mostly in ruins. While the exterior walls still stand, all the internal floors and non-structural walls have since burned down. The island has been the victim of vandalism, trespass, neglect and decay. Several old bulkheads and causeways that submerge at high tide present a serious navigational hazard. On-island guided hard hat tours were recently made available through the Bannerman's Castle Trust. The castle is easily visible to the riders of the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson line and Amtrak. The sign is easily visible to southbound riders.

Sometime during the week before Sunday December 28, 2009 parts of the castle collapsed. Officials estimate 30 -40 percent of the structures front wall and about half of the east wall collapsed. It was reported by a motorist and by officials on the Metro North Railroad which runs along the edge of the Hudson River.

In literature

Dark fantasy author Caitlín R. Kiernan uses Bannerman's Castle and Pollepel Island as the setting for a number of the stories in her collection, Tales of Pain and Wonder (2000), including "Estate," "The Last Child of Lir," and "Salammbô." In these stories, the castle was constructed by a fictional industrialist named Silas Desvernine and is referred to simply as "Silas' Castle."

"Bannerman Castle" by authors Barbara Gottlock and Thom Johnson was released through Arcadia Press in August 2006. The book contains almost 200 vintage photographs, and the text documents the island's growth and decline. Proceeds from the book go the Bannerman Castle Trust in its ongoing efforts to preserve and improve the island's structures. For ordering information, contact the Bannerman Castle Trust.

Pollepel Island is a murder scene in Linda Fairstein's murder mystery Killer Heat and the site of a series of abductions in Kirsten Miller's book Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City.

In Philip Kerr's The Day of the Djinn Warriors (2004), Bannerman's Island appears in the itinerary of the Djinn Twins.

The castle is visited and described in depth in William Lease Heat-Moon's travel log titled "River Horse" A Voyage Across America.

Bannerman's Castle (called the "Hammer Armory" here) was the site of clandestine human experimentation by the villainous Talia al Ghul and Dr. Creighton Kendall in issues #145 (published August 2008) and #146 (September 2008) of the (defunct) Nightwing ongoing series from DC Comics (in a story arc titled "Freefall," written by Peter J. Tomasi).

In music

Indie Rock band Shearwater used this island to illustrate their 2010 album, The Golden Archipelago, referring to the Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin with his Isle of the Dead (painting).

References

External links

Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Mari
28 October 2012
Bannerman's Castle is a great slice of NYC history. Take a tour if you're looking for a good day trip out of the city. Hang out in Beacon afterward.
Melissa Zayas
31 March 2019
We have taken the boat out, we have kayaked out and then hiked to the ruins. Both times was a great experience. They often do movies or dinners to raise money to help protect this beautiful place.
Houlihan Lawrence
25 July 2012
One of Hudson Valley's hidden gems. Make sure to have your smartphone or camera ready while taking a walking tour - you'll regret it if you don't!
Untapped Cities
27 July 2012
Castles? In New York? Why, yes! These ruins are a must, built by the Bannerman family as warehouse facility for their military surplus business in 1901. Get there by boat or kayak, tours available.
Christine L
21 May 2017
Reachable by tour only, whether by ferry or kayak. $35 may seem pricey, but the proceeds go into funding the restoration and upkeep of the island, which doesn't get any state funding, btw.
Dustin Lee
9 August 2016
Most of the time it's $35 per person for a 2.5 guided tour, with the ferry (that's right, one ferry) leaving at 12:30 from Beacon. Just a heads up, "self-guided" tours are only on 3rd Sundays.
Load more comments
foursquare.com
6.5/10
1,459 people have been here
Map
16 Hartsook Lane, Beacon, NY 12508, USA Get directions
Sat-Sun Noon–5:00 PM

Bannerman Island (Pollepel Island) on Foursquare

Pollepel Island on Facebook

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
morden house in Hudson Valley

starting $166

The Thayer Hotel

starting $264

Cadet Motel

starting $64

Days Inn by Wyndham Newburgh WestPoint/Stewart Intl Airport

starting $94

Super 8 By Wyndham Newburgh/West Point Stewart Intl Airport

starting $87

Econo Lodge Near Stewart International Airport

starting $90

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point (also known as USMA,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
St. Philip's Church in the Highlands

St. Philip's Church in the Highlands is an Episcopal church located on

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Fort Montgomery, New York)

St. Mark's Episcopal Church is located on US 9W in the hamlet of Fort

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Popolopen

Popolopen is the name of several related landmarks mainly within the

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Fort Montgomery (Hudson River)

Fort Montgomery is the name of a fortification built on the Hudson

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Peekskill, New York)

St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Peekskill, New York, United States, is

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Church of the Holy Comforter (Poughkeepsie, New York)

The Church of the Holy Comforter, built in 1860, is a Gothic Revival

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Smith Clove Meetinghouse

The Smith Clove Meeting House is a Quaker place of worship in Highland

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Bolsover Castle

Bolsover Castle is a castle in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England (grid

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Kenilworth Castle

Kenilworth Castle is a castle located in Kenilworth, Warwickshire,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Conisbrough Castle

Conisbrough Castle is a 12th-century castle in Conisbrough, South

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Beeston Castle

Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Cooling Castle

Cooling Castle Coordinates: was built in the 1380s by John Cobham on

See all similar places