8 hidden castles and fortresses in the U.S. you never knew existed

Castles in Europe are known for royal tenants, but castles in the U.S. tend to have humble origins. Down a long and winding road in Ohio, Harry Delos Andrews, a former school teacher and veteran, spent over 50 years building Loveland Castle on the banks of the Little Miami River. Although he died shortly before it was complete, the castle—now a museum—was constructed with stones he pulled from the river and cement bricks he molded from milk cartons.

Complete with turrets, tapered windows, and tightly wound stairwells—not to mention a dry moat, a secret room beneath the castle gardens, and a terrifying concept called murder holes—it feels like a kid’s fantasy come to life. And, in a final move that made childhood dreams come true, he bequeathed the castle to the Knights of the Golden Trail, the local boy scout troop, which maintains the castle as a museum to this day.

It’s not much of a secret for New Yorkers, considering that you can see it from the Metro-North Railroad. But Bannerman Castle is nevertheless an object of curiosity (even for those who see its ruins daily on their commute), set on Pollepel Island in the Hudson River and roughly 60 miles from NYC.

The castle is a fortification in its own right. Built in 1901 by Francis Bannerman VI, an arms dealer in Brooklyn, the castle served as a storage facility for ammunition and equipment (along with a “simple” summer residence). Scottish-born, Bannerman oversaw the design personally, infusing the Scottish-style structure with turrets, towers, ornate masonry, and even a moat. Today its ramparts are merely remnants: the castle was largely destroyed by a great fire, but you can still book a guided tour (complete with a boat ride) through The Bannerman Castle Trust to get up close.

You’ve probably never set foot on Dry Tortugas National Park, and not just because only 1% of the park is above water—the archipelago, almost 70 miles from Key West, is only accessible by seaplane or a hours-long ferry. But its main feature, Fort Jefferson, a military stronghold that started construction in 1846, is worth the visit. Although it was never completed, it’s the largest masonry fort of its kind in the Western Hemisphere (apparently made from 16 million bricks).

Designed for battle, you’ll find corner bastions and soaring ramparts jutting out into the water even though the fortress is no longer fit for a fight; it was later designated as a federal bird reservation by President Theodore Roosevelt, and its waters are home to one of the largest coral barrier reefs in the world (not surprisingly, it’s one of the best national parks in Florida).

Head to eastern Connecticut and you’ll find a castle hiding in plain sight. Here, surrounded by 200 acres, is a zany, medieval-inspired fortress, Gillette Castle, that was dreamed up by William Gillette, a once-famous playwright and actor who even played Sherlock Holmes in the 1890s.

Constructed as Gillette’s retirement home, the castle has its quirks, like secret doors, a disappearing bar, 47 fully unique doors, and even a hidden room that’s closed to the public. But the castle’s biggest secret? It’s only a castle by name. While technically just a mansion, the state branded it as a castle, opened it for public tours, and the rest is real estate history. And considering that hundreds of thousands visit every year, the gimmick worked.

Kelley Castle is not only a piece of work, it’s a work in progress. For over 30 years (and counting), a DIY builder named Pete Kelley has slowly built a tiny castle on the shores of Wisconsin’s Killarney Lake. It took him five years just to clear the land and put the groundwork in place before he started construction—part of a dream project he first came up with at the ripe age of 19.

As it stands, the castle has a Great Hall, a 35-foot tower, and turrets built for a beer lover (according to a local news outlet, the spaces between the tower’s parapet walls are customized to perfectly fit a can of beer while standing up top). Of course, you’re unlikely to stumble onto this castle on your own—no roads lead to the castle, and a “natural moat” must be crossed in order to reach the property (a lengthy and rickety footbridge leads the way). And if you want to see it for yourself, you’ll need to plan ahead: Kelley only opens it to the public one weekend a year, making this one of the most hidden and hard-to-visit castles in the country.

Set on the isolated Hog Island Ledge in Portland, Maine, it’s not that Fort Gorges didn’t have the chops—built of granite, it was one of many fortresses built to defend Portland’s harbor in the 19th century—it just had poor timing.

By the time the 2-acre fort was complete, in 1864, it was simply built for a different war (its cannon holds, apparently, couldn’t accommodate the latest technology of guns). While it was briefly used for storage many years later, the fort has sat abandoned ever since. And while it’s technically a public park, you’ll need to breach the fort via private boat.

Tucked deep within Colorado’s San Isabel National Forest, Bishop Castle is undoubtedly one of the most eccentric buildings in the country. Its owner, Jim Bishop, has single-handedly constructed this remote, Gothic-inspired castle for over 50 years.

Set on a 2.5-acre parcel that Bishop purchased at the age of 15 for $450 (his parents, who owned an ornamental iron shop, signed the land deal), the plot started out as a stone cottage but later grew to become a medieval fortress complete with buttresses, a fire-breathing dragon made of steel, and a handful of towers. You can visit for free, but be forewarned: Bishop will give you a mouthful, as he’s apparently not shy about sharing his anti-government views to guests. We all need to pay for our supper somehow, right?

Back in the day, bakers worked in castles. But in Bellville, a small town between Houston and Austin, the local baker built a bonafide fortress castle himself. Called Newman’s Castle, the storybook design features a dungeon, a working 3,000 pound drawbridge, an alligator-prone moat, and a 62-foot tall bell tower.

It took about a decade to build (it’s constructed out of cinder blocks and stucco), and it comes locked and loaded: there’s a functional catapult right on the lawn. Does that mean visitors are deterred? Not at all: you can call ahead to arrange a visit.