We Explored Gloucester, Mass #2: Hammond Castle

This is the second and final blog of our trip to Gloucester, Massachusetts to visit Hammond Castle. It today's blog, I'll tell you about the castle, the crazy mash up of styles used to build it, some interior highlights and the man who built it.  

WHAT IS HAMMOND CASTLE? With nearly 100 years of history, this medieval-style castle was the creation of famed inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. and now serves as an STEAM-inspired museum that blends history, science, and art. Today, you can tour the castle, attend community events and performances there, or rent it for events and weddings.

A STRANGE MASH OF ARCHITECTURAL STYLES - Because Tom is an architect, the first thing he noticed was that the castle had 5 different styles. To me, a layman, it looked like a mashup! - Because of the different styles, it wasn't linear. Hammond Castle was built between 1926 and 1929 and is said to be a romantic architectural pastiche blending a medieval European castle, a Gothic cathedral, and a Renaissance French village. Designed with the Boston firm Allen & Collens, the structure incorporates authentic 15th-, 16th-, and 18th-century European artifacts salvaged from war-torn and historical sites abroad. 

(3 Photos Inside the Great hall. Credit R.G.) 

BUILDING HIGHLIGHTS 

The Great Hall: A soaring, cathedral-like space dominated by a massive, multi-story pipe organ containing over 8,200 pipes and illuminated by grand medieval stained-glass windows. Most of the pipes are actually for show and are NOT connected to the organ! - The guide told us that the organ was being repaired, but when it's working there are sometimes organ concerts in the Great Hall. 

The Cloister Courtyard: An indoor-outdoor medieval garden area featuring authentic architectural salvage, including a church archway carved from Mount Vesuvius lava rock and facades from old European shops. Within the courtyard, one of the sides of the interior wall was an actual medieval tavern wall from France, brought over and reconstructed. - **WHY? Because when you have untold riches, it's what you do.  

CREEPY SARCOPHOGUSES - There were also three ancient Roman sarcophogus' there. Two of them were for children. They were all empty, though, as the bodies had either deteriorated or the bones were removed.  

  (Photo: The casting of Hercules (left) as discovered in the ruins of Pompeii).

 POMPEII STATUE - One of the ancient artifacts I found particularly interesting was a casting of Hercules, and it was found in Pompeii. 

GHOSTS & WHISPERS IN THE LIBRARY -  Well, there wasn't an actual ghost in the library, but he had a book called "Gallery of Ghosts" by James Reynolds. That caught my eye, so I'm planning on ordering it, if I can find it- since it's at least 75 years old!   Also in the library was a "whisper ceiling" where sound travels cleanly along the curved architecture despite appearing flat, alongside hidden passageways and spiral staircases.

WRAP UP WITH MY FAVORITE ARTIFACT - 

I don't know who this statue is supposed to be, but he's a handsome muscular guy, and he was a highlight. The statue was in the statue was in the Cloister Courtyard, next to one of the sarcophaguses (the white rectangular box shaped stone to the right).  I decided to focus my attention on the statue instead.

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IN CASE YOU WONDERED- WHO IS JOHN HAYS HAMMOND JR? -  (1888 – 1965)  He was an inventor, including being known as the “Father of Radio Control” for his pioneering work in that field. -He is known to have made over 500 inventions during his time, although most are obscure now with the advances in technology. His inventions did lead to tech that is used today in missles and radio controlled toys and vehicles. 

MOST WELL-KNOWN INVENTION - Hammond’s lifetime achievements in radio control would earn him many accolades, including the prestigious Elliott Cresson Medal in 1959, the Franklin Institute’s highest accolade, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Medal of Honor in 1963.