Moodus, Connecticut week 2

We hope that you had a most wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. We sure packed in a lot and the Lord showed us so many of His wonderful creation. It is amazing being on the East Coast and how much older towns and villages are, some are over 330 years old.

Well, as promised, I will write about the amazing Gillette Castle and William Gillette. I can't imagine living in a castle, although William never called it a castle, he called it his home. William was an American actor, playwright, stage-manager and had several patents as he created props for the stage. He was best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage.

He was born in Nook Farm, Hartford, Connecticut, a literary and intellectual center with residents such as Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Charles Dudley Warner. At the age of 20, he left Hartford to begin has apprenticeship as an actor. He briefly worked for a stock company in New Orleans, but the returned to New England where, on Mark Twain's own recommendation, he debuted at the Globe Theater in Boston. He was in Twain's stage-play The Gilded Age in 1875. He was a stock actor for six years in Boston, New York and the Midwest. 

July 24, 1853 - April 29, 1937

In 1882, he married Helen Nichols of Detroit. She was also an actress and they traveled around the country preforming in plays. She was the love of his life. She died in 1888 from a ruptured appendix and William deeply mourned his wife and never remarried. The couple had no children.

William and Helen.

For the next five years William was ill and inactive in the theater, spending time with his sister Lilly's family. In the fall and winter of 1890, he traveled to the Saluda Mountains and stayed at Tryon, both in North Carolina and then in 1891 he traveled to Georgia and Florida. Later that year on a trip to Windsor, Ontario, illness forced him to enter a sanatorium at Danville, New York. In the Spring of 1892 he built a cabin about a mile from Tryon, North Carolina and named it "Thousand Pines." Also, in 1892 his mother passed away, also his play, "Ninety Days" was a failure and it was a difficult financial set back.

Saluda Mountains, North Carolina

William returned to the stage and in 1899 played the title role in his play, Sherlock Holmes. The role made him wealthy and famous throughout the world. Between 1899 and 1930 he gave 1,300 performances of Holmes putting his own imprint on the persona. In 1903 twelve companies around the world were performing the play at one time. William's play grossed $1.5 million at the box office, and in 1903 he received a weekly royalty of $5,000.

In 1898 he purchased a 140-foot-long houseboat equipped with a fireplace and built-in bookshelves and named it "Aunt Polly," after a woman he met in North Carolina. He also hired a valet and dresser, Yukitaka Osaki, a member of a prominent Japanese family. Osaki remained a respected and close friend even after his days of employment ended.

Yukitaka Osaki

Gillette originally planned to build his retirement home on Long Island until he discovered the cliffs of the Seven Sisters while traversing the Connecticut River in his houseboat. Gillette designed the home and personally overlooked every phase of the construction. The house was built between 1914 and 1919 with an addition completed in 1924 on a 184-acre tract at the top of the southernmost of a chain of hills known as the Seven Sisters.

A miniature of the castle.

Castle in the distance was a reproduction of a 

Rhenish medieval castle with 24-four rooms.

Closer picture of the castle with a Sherlock Holmes sign.

This is the view William had from his backyard, the Connecticut River.

Made from rock around the area.

The castle has 47 unique doors with door knobs made out of wood.

The living room.

He liked to stand on the second floor while his guests were in the

 living room, he would appear much larger to them.

Here is his bar, he would play trick with his guests. He would close the bar, 

excuse himself then watch as the guests would try to reopen the bar. He had 

a secret wooden key that he would take with him, and no one know how to open the bar. 

He would come back down, replace the lock and then open

the bar. Even Albert Einstein could figure it out.

Hubby standing next to a storage closet door 

this way you can see the size of the door.

He had bathrooms in the castle in 1919. Each of the four 

bedrooms included a bathroom as well.

His room. He had interesting drawers 

on the outside of his dresser.

His collection of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.

He built a three-mile narrow gauge railroad and took guest for 

rides around the property. President Wilson loved 

riding on the train with him.

We had a fun time and if you are ever in the area, the castle is 

worth seeing especially because it is only $6 per person.

William Gillette lived in his home from 1919 until his death in 1937. He had no family to leave the home too, so the state of Connecticut purchased the property in 1943 for $29,000, it is now known as Gillette Castle State Park. In 1919, William Gillette paid $1.1 million to build his house.

Sunday, we drove to Hartford to buy me new shoes for walking (now I just have to do that) and to take a picture of the Capital Building. After that we went to a lovely town for lunch, Wethersfield, Connecticut. I just asked my phone for places to eat near me and the Lord took us to a very cute historical town.

The current building, completed in 1880, is the third capitol building for 

the state of Connecticut since the American Revolution.

Wethersfield, Connecticut was founded in 1634 by a Puritan settlement party of "10 Men." It is arguably the oldest town in Connecticut, depending on the interpretation of when a remote settlement qualifies as a "town". Along with Windsor and Hartford, Wethersfield is represented by one of the three grapevines on the Flag of Connecticut, signifying the state's three oldest English settlements. 

Connecticut Flag

Fun fact: Four witch trials and three executions for witchcraft occurred in the town in the 17th century. Mary Johnson was convicted of witchcraft and executed in 1648, Joan and John Carrington in 1651. In 1669, landowner Katherine Harrison was convicted, and although her conviction was reversed, she was banished and her property seized by her neighbors.

We had lunch at The Charles House.

Built by Elijah Wright, a militia captain in the 

Revolutionary War, in 1790 and was remodeled in 1850.

May 1st - May 31st is the Bicycles on Main festival.

Cute and interesting bikes for sure.

This one has a garden theme with a watering can 

that looks like water is coming out.

Beautiful Victorian Style home.

The sign reads "Take a Shellfie"

The Webb house. Here Washington and Rochambeau 

planned the Campaign Ending at Yorktown. 

Circa 1781

First Church of Christ is where Washington attended 

service during his time with Rochambeau at the Webb house.

Monday was a very busy day as we went to a "Road Food" restaurant in Madison, Connecticut and then drove to Mystic, Connecticut to check out the pizza parlor where Mystic Pizza was filmed.

Lenny and Joe's Fish Tales Restaurant. 

Over 1 million people visit Madison Beaches annually. 

Madison is the home to Connecticut's largest public shoreline 

park with over 2 miles of sandy beach. In fact, there are

 four beaches to choose from in Madison.

Historically, Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with

 more than 600 ships built over 135 year starting in 1784. The 

village is located on the Mystic River.  "But let justice roll down 

like waters and righteousness like an every-flowing stream." 

Amos 5:24 (NASB)

The name "Mystic" is derived from the Pequot term "missi-tuk" 

describing a large river whose waters are driven into waves by tides or wind.

Baptist Hill Church built in 1924.

The title of the film Mystic Pizza was inspired by a pizza shop in 

Mystic and was released in 1988. The Screenwriter Amy Holden Jones was

 summering in the area and chose the Mystic Pizza restaurant as

 the focus of her story about the lives of three young waitresses. 

"Pizza is not a 'trend' it's a way of life." Anonymous. 

Also in 1997, Steven Spielberg shot various scenes 

for the film Amistad at the Mystic Seaport.

While walking down the cute street after the Pizza parlor (which was packed), 

we found an old bank that was turned into a brewery by a Veteran. 

Bank & Bridge. It was also packed, but it was a fun 

place to take a break and have a cold one.

I had to take a picture of the vault where all the 

safe deposit boxes were.

John Joseph "Johnny" Kelley was an American long-distance runner who won the

 1957 Boston Marathon and the marathon at the 1959 Pan American Games. 

He was also a member of the United States Olympic teams

of 1956 and 1960, competing in the marathon. 

Had to take a shot of the downtown. Such a cute town.

Mystic & Noank Library.

Well, Tuesday and Wednesday came and I needed to get back to the laundry. "Keeping it real" I love my washer/dryer, but it is hard when I get backed up and not doing any laundry for three days means a lot of loads to be done. I can do two small loads a day and possibly one with clothes that I hang to dry. So that is what happened. It was nice weather, and we did sit outside, so that was good.

I love this washer/dryer combo so much better than having 

to drag everything to a laundry mat.

Thursday, we went on the hunt for the cheapest diesel we could find. Hubby did a great job investigating and found a Citgo where he downloaded the app and saved us even more money. Thanks babe, you rock!

Friday, we waited for the rain while the temperature just got higher. Hubby put things away outside just so we wouldn't have to do it in the rain and after dinner we will put up the bikes and get ready for Rhode Island.

We went to Tavern on the Hill and it was a Smokehouse. Hubby 

enjoyed the ribs and I had a loaded baked potato - yum. 

We met some locals and it was really nice. They had the weather

 on and we were holding our breath to see if quarter size hail

 was headed our way. Thank You, Lord, that didn't happen.

Saturday, travel day. It is so crazy being in such small states, I mean, when you are used to the size of Texas, traveling from Moodus, Connecticut to Portsmouth, Rhode Island is only a two-hour drive, it will take us a bit longer because we are pulling the rig, but we don't have to leave that early in the morning. I like that.

More on Portsmouth, Rhode Island on the next blog. Thank you for joining us in our adventures.

If there is something special you would like me to take a picture of, please let me know!
 
Drop a comment for me and let me know your thoughts on the blog.
 
God, the RV & me...