The Castle

Craig-E-Clair Castle a.k.a. Dundas Castle (Williams family photo 1958) 

We called it the castle.  I think we even stayed there overnight once.  Maybe not, but we visited it  many times.  I heard my parents talk about the Masons, who owned the castle as well as nearby property which had a large barn-like structure and a big swimming pool that was filled with nice colored families; I remember there was a really cute lifeguard, a teenager, working there.

Me, age 6

You can google Dundas Castle Roscoe NY for the history, but
it took some digging to see mention of the Prince Hall Masons,
a Black branch of the Masons who owned the property at some point.

Fast foward to 1997, my parents had gotten divorced and my father moved out of Florida to be near me, my family and my brother's family in NC.  That summer we took a road trip north, spending time in New York City, Roscoe and Boston - me, my husband, two daughters and "Ga-ga". During that trip we searched and found the castle, almost missing it from the gravely path because it sits so low and you could barely see the spires through the tall grasses.  But there it was with lots of broken windows and missing or half-boarded up doors where you could walk inside. We saw a white tiled kitchen filled with mildew, rust and dirt, and a marble winding staircase that led to who-knows-what.  The girls, age 10 and 13, enjoyed exploring and dramatically pretending to be creeped out.

1997 visit