Dundas Castle (Roscoe, New York)
Dundas Castle | |
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Location | 609 Craigie Clair Rd, Roscoe, NY 12776 |
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Coordinates | 41°58′4.0″N 74°51′53.2″W / 41.967778°N 74.864778°W |
Area | 1,000 acres (400 ha) |
Built | 1910–24 |
NRHP reference No. | 01000245[1] |
Designated HD | 21 March 2001[2] |
Dundas Castle, also called Craig-e-Clair, is a neo-Gothic house near Roscoe in Sullivan County, New York. It was built between 1910 and 1924 for Ralph Wurts-Dundas.[2]
Early history
[edit]In the late 1880s, New York architect Bradford Gilbert acquired nearly 1,000 acres (400 ha) in the Catskill Mountains in what is now Roscoe, New York.[3] On this property, Gilbert constructed his summer retreat, Beaverkill Lodge. Gilbert's new wife, Maria, who was Irish, said "the Catskill scenery reminded her of home."[3] She named the surrounding hamlet Craig-e-Clair which translates as "beautiful mountainside."[3]
Wurts-Dundas era
[edit]In 1903, the Gilberts sold the property to Morris Stembach.[3] Four years later, in 1907, Stembach sold it to Ralph Wurts-Dundas.[3] Wurts-Dundas was a wealthy and prominent New Yorker, the grandson of William Wurts, one of three brothers who built the Delaware & Hudson Canal. He eventually shortened his name to Dundas.[3]
Dundas wanted to expand the existing Beaverkill Lodge into the finest mansion his money could buy.[3] Construction photographs show Beaverkill Lodge being "encapsulated within the castle structure."[4] For his European-style castle, Dundas imported slate roofing from England, iron gates France, and marble from Italy for floors, fireplaces, and staircases.[3] The only local product used was stone from the nearby Beaverkill River.[3] The reception room's fireplace was covered in gold leaf and valued at more than $5,000 in 1910.[3]
Designed in the Gothic Revival and Elizabethan Revival styles, the 36-room residence was constructed between 1910 and 1924, but never completed or occupied by Dundas or his wife Josephine because he died in 1921.[3] The castle was inherited by their daughter Muriel, along with some $40 million, but she did not go back to the Catskills and the castle.[3]
Masons and Camp Eureka
[edit]In 1949, Muriel sold the property for $47,000 to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Masonic Order.[3] This was a Manhattan-based organization of African-American Masons who wanted to create "a Masonic home for the aged and indigent."[3] Unfortunately, that project did not happen, so the Masons developed the property into a vacation retreat, using a barn as a recreation center, an old farmhouse for administration, and the castle for a fishing and hunting resort.[3] Over time, they added new structures and turned the property into a summer camp for inner-city youth.[3] Named Camp Eureka, this is the main activity of the site today.
Conservation
[edit]The building and property were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. In 2005, the Masons entered into a conservation easement with Open Space Conservancy.[3] The easement limits future development on the property and protects its historic structures.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "NRHP Registration Form – Dundas Castle". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Sokolow, Jane (2015). "Dundas Castle". Beaverkill Friends. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Parsons, Rebecca. "Dudas Castle History". Dundas Castle (Craig E Claire).
External links
[edit]- Dundas Castle: Aerial photos and history of the Dundas Castle at Abandoned
- Dundas Castle: History of the Dundas Castle by Rebecca Parsons
- Dundas Castle: History of the Dundas Castle from Friends of the Beaverkill Community
- The Lonely Castle: Photo essay and history of the Dundas Castle at The Photo Explorer
- The Lonely Castle Revisited: More photos of the Dundas Castle at The Photo Explorer
- The Mason's Castle - Photo essay and history of the Dundas Castle at The Art of Abandonment