Monday, February 18, 2008

The Casco Castle Years, Chapter 2, Construction

Freeport Sentinel
Freeport, June 6, 1902
Freeport folks enjoying a day at Merrymeeting, Underwood or for that matter at any of these like summer resorts, were obliged to leave them just in the pleasantest part of the day in order to catch the afternoon train home, otherwise we must wait till the midnight train which of course is anything but pleasant to do. Now we shall not only have a means of transportation which will enable one to come or go at his own option, but we are to have right in our midst the finest summer resort of this kind anywhere in the State, an doubtless equal to anything of the kind in the United States. This is to be "Casco Castle" and will be built at South Freeport upon the thirty acre preserve recently purchased by the Portland & Brunswick Street Railway. This structure, the plans of which is drawn by Mr. Miller of Lewiston, show somewhat of Norman style in architecture, will be built upon a very high table rock located within the preserve and will command an outlook of ocean, mountains and valley unsurpassed hereabouts. Along the front is the sea with its rugged coast, picturesque islands and ever changing attractions; to the right and back runs a clear, fresh water, which stream will be dammed, a rustic bridge built, and the entrance of the electric road into the park will be via the same and through an immense arch or gateway. The stream will be so controlled as to form a fresh water pond and here will be built and stocked a fine fresh water aquarium. The salt water makes up into the land in one place and this will be dammed for a salt water aquarium. In both ponds the water will be kept pure by ever changing and flowing, thus enabling the owners to place here one of the most notable aquariums in this part of the State. Nature has lent all grace and beauty to this spot, and with the intelligent use of good American dollars the place can be turned into a truly fairyland. Landscape gardening will add color and tone to the present natural beauty which, by the way, will, so far as possible, be left as nature planned. Mr. Miller is one of the best architects and the structure which he has pictured and planned to build in the midst of all this wild beauty will only add to the whole and make of it an ideal retreat. The main building of this castle will be of wood, and will be 125 feet long and 40 feet wide, and on the outside it will be given a castellated treatment and will be finished with stained shingles. Its centre will be surmounted with a cupola some 80 feet high, and from the main building will arise turrets and decorations in keeping with the ancient Norman style of architecture. The interior of this main building will be divided into three floors, the first floor to contain an immense dining hall, a number of smaller, private dining rooms, also kitchen and serving rooms. The second floor will comprise a handsome ballroom, dining and smoking rooms, parlors and theatre. The third floor will be given up to private rooms for guests. As it is planned now there will be about twenty private rooms besides servants' quarters. The great feature, however, and withal the most attractive perhaps will be the stone tower rising 100 feet in space and adjoining the main structure. This tower will be built of moss covered cobble stones as far as possible, laid with walls of great firmness and should endure for ages. It will be round in shape, will be fitted with electric elevator and winding stairways, and will have observation glasses for the use of the guests. A landing will built every 12 feet, where rustic seats will invite the vistor and where he may at leisure enjoy ices and refreshments to order. The outside of this tower will also be given the castellated finish, with innumerable little turrets and battlements in keeping with the general architecture of the main structure. The many rods of old stone wall which were laid, some of them near a hundred years since upon this tract of farm land, by owners long since dead, will be taken down and built into this tower, hence lessening the expense of building, which at best will be very large. The grounds will also contain a zoo, and two interesting specimens for this department have already taken up their home upon the preserve, two immense buffalo, which, by the way, will scare the life out of your horse if you drive too close with an animal which admits of being the least bit nervous. (Moral: Look out you see the buffalo before your horse does.) There has already been one accident from this source upon these grounds. Of course all this building and constructing and beauty making takes time, but Mr. Gerald has now a force on the place cleaning up and will push the enterprise just as fast and far as possible this season. His architect having already handed in plans for same, which plans the writer had the privilege of looking over this week, and from seeing which concluded that while Freeport had been a patient waiter for this "modern inconvenience" - electric railway service - yet in the end all the summer resorts along our home coast combined will not be an approach to this at our own door, the final climax of which will be reached when its interior is completed in the beauty of fine furnishings, rustic and modern, and the graceful lines of its exterior architecture are outlined and clearly defined by the blaze and glory of electric lighting and many hundred tiny balls of electric fire. The contract for putting up this set of buildings was let to Lewiston parties Wednesday of this week and ground was broken Wednesday morning for the foundation. It is stated from authoritative source that August will see this building in shape to receive guests but of course all will not be complete before another season as regards the finer detail.

The engine, tools and derrick arrived this week to begin work on the tower. The casino is to be called "Casco Castle;" it will be 175 feet long and 64 feet wide, with balconies and piazzas with a tower on the end 100 feet high and 28 feet in diameter, an electric elevator running to the top of it. The cars will not come into the park, but by a loop they will come down to the creek on the back of the park and a foot bridge will cross the stream near the buffalo pen.

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