I will most likely be watching the Oscars. But I think I’d rather be in the middle of a state park visiting a former actor’s crazy castle. Actor and Connecticut native William Gillette, known for his portrayals of Sherlock Holmes on stage, spent more than $1 million (quite a lot of cash back in 1919) constructing his castle in East Haddam, Connecticut. Gillette died in 1937 and his will insisted that the medieval castle not fall to “some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded”. The state of Connecticut acquired the nearly 200-acre estate in 1943 and Gillette Castle has been open to the public ever since. Visitors can explore the intricate hidden mirrors, lock-protected bar and hand-carved door latches on the castle’s 47 doors (no two are alike).
Sherlock Holmes – William Gillette
