I visited an abandoned castle hidden on a New York island that's slowly crumbling away. It was hauntingly beautiful.

Joey HaddenApr 17, 2024, 02:34 IST

The abandoned Bannerman Castle is deteriorating on the Hudson River in New York. The island it sits on opened to visitors in 2020.National Archives and Records Administration, Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The abandoned Bannerman Castle sits on Pollepel Island in New York's Hudson River.
Once a fortress for weapons, the castle is only accessible by private boat.

Sitting on Pollepel Island in New York's Hudson River, a stunning piece of history is slowly crumbling away.

Bannerman Castle was built as a fortress for weapons in the early 20th century by Francis Bannerman, a Scottish arms trader, The New York Times reported. The castle was abandoned in the 1950s after gunpowder exploded inside.

Then, in the early 1990s, the Bannerman Castle Trust led efforts to restore the structure and island to make it safe for the public to visit, according to the company's website. It's been accessible since 2004 and open for tours since 2020.

We got a private tour of the island in 2019 — before tours were available to the public. Take a look at Pollepel Island's decaying castle that's being taken over by nature.

Welcome to Bannerman Castle, an abandoned structure in New York's Hudson River that I visited in 2019.

A view of Bannerman Castle from the Hudson River.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Bannerman Castle is on Pollepel Island, which is about 60 miles north of New York City.

Pollepel Island is in the Hudson River, north of Manhattan.Google Maps

To get to the castle, I took a cab from the Manitou train station to Donahue Memorial Park in the town of Cornwall, New York.

The park sits on the west side of the Hudson River.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I boarded a boat on the park's dock with my guides.

A work boat at the Cornwall public dock.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the castle. From the dock, I thought its beautiful, sturdy-looking walls made the building appear almost functional.

The north gate of Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

But my guide told me I could not go inside — it's not safe.

A view of Bannerman Castle from the north trail of Pollepel Island.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

All visitors must stay at least 100 feet away from the castle.

The north trail on Pollepel Island.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

A history of accidental explosions and weather damage at Bannerman Castle has left the castle that was once a weapon fortress in this decrepit state.

A warehouse wall (left) and a tower wall (right) held up by steel braces.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Bannerman's sons took over the business when he died in 1918. But in 1920, a room full of gunpowder exploded.

A close-up of a Bannerman Castle wall shows where windows used to be.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Forty-seven years later, the Bannerman family sold the island to New York State.

A view of Bannerman Castle's tower from the observation deck.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

In 1969, a fire destroyed much of the castle.

A view of Bannerman Castle and remnants of its harbor.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

But in 1992, Neil Caplan, a resident of nearby Beacon, New York, formed the Bannerman Castle Trust.

A view of Bannerman Castle walls from the Hudson River.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The Trust teamed up with New York's Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation to open the island to the public in 2004.

Bannerman Castle's tower as viewed from an observation deck.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Although the main castle is inaccessible, the Trust stabilized another structure that served as the Bannerman family residence. That's now the island's visitor center.

The Bannerman family residence is intact and safe to enter.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Inside, visitors can find information about the island's past.

Historical information in the Bannerman Castle visitor center.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Visitors can also see preserved fixtures from the castle, like this bathtub.

A bathtub that was saved from Bannerman Castle.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Although the trust has restored parts of the castle since the 1990s, the weather has still taken a toll on the structure in recent decades.