You Can Explore This Majestic, Medieval Massachusetts Castle

From a skull of one of Christopher Columbus' crewmen to stunning bluff views of the Atlantic, this medieval castle is nestled in Gloucester and clearly a picture-perfect day trip.

You can bring a picnic and eat on the lawn if you want, after a guided tour or just explore on your own. The eccentricities and artifacts collected from the former owner and inventor will leave you in awe.

Welcome to the Hammond Castle.

According to the History of Massachusetts website, there are seaside concerts, private events, those tours I mentioned, and you can even rent it out yourself.

The Hammond Castle Museum was once the home of an eccentric inventor named John Hays Hammond Jr., a protégé of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.

Since he was an eccentric who traveled the world when he wasn't in his laboratory, that explains the skull that's part of his collection.

You can also see Hammond's bevy of Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance artifacts, and the lab that resulted in more than 400 patents.

He was known as the "Father of Radio Control”, according to the History of Massachusetts, because of his groundbreaking work with radio waves.

The castle also has what every self-respecting castle needs: a drawbridge, several towers, a great hall, a library, and a courtyard both inside and outside the castle.

If you do a self-guided tour,  you can roam inside through the massive rooms and inner sanctum, stroll the pathways, and enjoy the massive grounds sitting high upon a rocky cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Mr. Hammond considered his castle primarily a home to be lived in. His cats scratched the collection of Spanish leather dining room chairs, the salt air has damaged his late Gothic tapestries, and the dankness of the stone castle has taken a toll on his collection of sheet music. It was a living museum. He lived here. He sat on the furniture.

 

Click here for more info on visiting hours and events, and enjoy this incredible step back in time.