Gillette's Castle: The First Lower River "Trophy House"?

This photograph, taken at the Chester launch of the Chester Ferry , shows what many consider to be the first "trophy" house built within the lower Connecticut River valley. Gillette's Castle in Lyme (the majority of the park property is located in East Haddam) was built in 1919 by William Gillette, best known as one of the earliest stage portrayors of "Sherlock Holmes". After Gillette died in 1937, with no wife or children, his will precluded the possession of his castle by any "blithering sap-head who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded". After having been acquired by the State of Connecticut in 1943, the castle is now a state park overseen by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. The patios around the structure allow for the viewing of some of the most breathtaking views of the lower river valley.