There sits an old castle, on a rocky island, nearby. It was built to be an optical illusion, and housed cannons, rifles and ammo at one time. The island itself has seen explosions (as you may imagine) and massive parties, carnage and subsequent hauntings, has been the scene of battles and bootlegging, and played a hand in the American Revolution. It is Pollepel Island, referred to as a “tiny jewel in the setting of the Hudson Highlands,” also known as Bannerman’s Island, and it’s waiting for you to explore.

On a press tour this week, Thom Johnson, who played on the island as a child, and is now an island historian who literally wrote the book on the subject, let us in on all kinds of juicy lore, displayed artifacts like an etched powder horn and answered my beleaguered questions about the original Scottish clan and the parties — oh, tell me about the parties. “It was the Studio 54 of the area,” Johnson said dryly, sometime around the 1880s. Apparently that wasn’t the only time. Also, in the late 1960s Johnson confirmed, it was quite the hotbed of “rock n’ roll parties.”

The story of the island begins with Native Americans, who had waged battles there and reportedly believed it was inhabited by hostile spirits. Early Dutch settlers spied it during the first navigation of the Hudson River, and during the Revolutionary War, colonists buried iron-pointed logs and chains from the island across the river, hoping to pierce any British ships that passed over it. However, the British learned about an opening meant for American ships, and hence, the burning of Kingston occurred in 1777.

Enter Francis Bannerman, who bought the island in 1900, cleared out the riff-raff, who may or may not have been bootleggers, and used it to store military surplus. Frances was apparently a church-going man who disliked alcohol and had the subsequent deed include that alcohol not be allowed on the island. Indeed, when Johnson visited the island 25 years ago with Bannerman decedent Frances the 8th, they saw a stray beer can on the island and Bannerman remarked, ‘Oh God, grandpa would not be happy."

In 1901, Bannerman began constructing the fortress, made to resemble a Scottish castle, with no right angles at the corners, and used the illusion of false perspective to make it seem larger and more imposing. (An aerial shot would reveal parallelograms used to achieve this illusion.)

Bannerman and his family led a fabled existence on the island, using the castle as a giant billboard for their business and building it up with their own military surplus items, even selling some back to the U.S. government for use in World War I. One of the very interesting tidbits about Bannerman was that his wife Helen was an equal partner in the business financially, which was unheard of at the time. Two of their three sons would eventually run the business with her, producing the final surplus catalogue in 1965.

Following his death in 1918, 200 pounds of shells and powder exploded in 1920, destroying a portion of the castle's edifice. Further detonations would occur in 1950, when a cargo ship, the Pollepel, caught in a rough storm, crashed into the island and exploded on impact. (That ill-fated boat gave the island its name.) By the 1960s, the island, which had long been abandoned, was known to be quite the party spot. But in August 1969, a fire believed to be arson, destroyed much of the remaining structure.

In 1992, Beacon resident Neil Caplan (who was on-hand for the press tour) founded the Bannerman Castle Trust, helping to raise over a million dollars to stabilize the castle, restore the home, and maintain the island, also allowing for public tours. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation also has a hand in maintaining the island, raising awareness and educating the public about this amazing piece of Hudson Valley history, which is famous to many as the castle they pass, just past Beacon, while riding Metro North to NYC.

This year, the island opens for tours on May 1, and has scheduled a full slate of exciting events, including staged radio plays, music concerts, movie nights (including Hitchcock’s 'Vertigo' on August 27!), educational hikes, dinners, and even a gala. For more info, visit: bannermancastle.org.