We picked the hottest day of the year for a 3 hour kayak tour on the open river, but we finally got to see Bannerman Castle up close and personal.

If you’ve ever taken the Metro North Hudson line past Cold Spring, you know the castle I’m talking about. It’s the ruins on the island. Yeah, that’s Bannerman.

We’ve lived in Beacon for five years now and every summer we say we’re going to do the tour. Finally, last week when we were walking up Main Street we saw a sign outside Mountain Tops Outfitters that said “Bannerman spots still available for August 15th tour.” So we just went in and booked it before we changed our minds.

You don’t have to kayak to get to the castle. There are large boat trips that let you off to tour the island. The kayak trip would have been pleasant enough had it not been 90 friggin degrees out. It’s about 1.5 hour from Beacon, 1.5 hour on the island and then 1.5 hour back. Three hours of river kayaking might be a bit much for a beginner, especially since you have to stay with the group. We kayak maybe 2-3 times per year and my muscles were slightly sore the following day, but it was nothing compared to the heat stroke I had.

Bannerman Castle lived up to my expectations! Wesley Gottlock was our tour guide. He and his wife, Barbara have some awesome New York history books out, including one on Bannerman. I filtered out the stuff that didn’t capture my attention and soaked up what was important to me.

That would be:

Frank Bannerman arrived from Dundee, Scotland in 1851. Nine year old Frank started to collect scrap from the harbor and became so successful at it that it that the business rapidly evolved into a munitions dealership. He started out at The Brooklyn Navy Yard and soon had to expand to 501 Broadway, NYC. Around 1900, NYC grew nervous of him storing so much ammunition and forced him out.

He came across Pollepel Island by chance and purchased it for his business. The massive castle he built housed his collection and he had a smaller home built on the island for he and his wife. Although Bannerman had no architectural training, he basically designed the buildings. Now, here’s my favorite part….he used recycled materials in the construction of his castle! Not entirely, but massive stones that were taken up for the foundation were reused, as was some of his inventory built into the walls.

Frank Bannerman died in 1918. In 1920, an explosion destroyed part of the complex. In 1967, the State of New York purchased the abandoned island and started giving tours. Two years later, the building was completely destroyed by a fire, making it unsafe for visitors.

The property is now owned by the NY State Park Department/Historic Sites and hard hat tours are given by Bannerman Castle Trust.

Frank Bannerman is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.