Английская Википедия:Casco Castle

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Файл:The Old Tower, South Freeport, Maine (66993).jpg
The hotel's stone tower, which is still standing today, viewed from the north

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 Шаблон:Convert 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, directly to the south across the Harraseeket River.[1] The main part of the building was to the south, with the tower on its northern side, connected by a bridge.[2]

In 1903,[3] 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.[4] The grounds featured a hotel and restaurant, a picnic area, a baseball field, and a small zoo.[5] The hotel burned in 1914, but its stone tower was spared. It stands today on private property. A popular place from which to view the tower is nearby Winslow Memorial Park.[6]

Trolleycars of the Portland & Brunswick Street Railway, of which Gerald was general manager,[7] brought visitors from nearby Freeport. After alighting, they crossed Шаблон:Convert above Spark Creek on a steel suspension bridge, then climbed steep steps to the hotel's entrance.[4]

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.[8]

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.[4][9] The stone tower survived.[10]

A photomechanical print of Casco Castle is in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[11]

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.[4]

The designer of the property's gardens was John J. Turner.[4]

References

External links