Barbara de Mare <barbarademare@yahoo.com> wrote: Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 08:34:42 -0700 (PDT) From: Barbara de Mare <barbarademare@yahoo.com> Subject: Fwd: Bannerman Castle talk To: Rockland e-mail list <nyrockla@rootsweb.com>, "NYCOLUMB-L@rootsweb.com" <NYCOLUMB-L@rootsweb.com>, "dutch-colonies@rootsweb.com" <dutch-colonies@rootsweb.com>, Bergen e-mail list <NJBERGEN-L@rootsweb.com>, Connecticut e-mail list <H-CONNECTICUT@H-NET.MSU.EDU>, New Jersey e-mail list <H-NEW-JERSEY@H-NET.MSU.EDU>, Putnam County e-mail list <NYPUTNAM@rootsweb.com>, "ctfairfi-l@rootsweb.com" <ctfairfi-l@rootsweb.com>, Marie Koestler <Marie_Koestler@opentech.net>, Karen Lamberton <karen.lamberton@spyral.net>, "nydutche-l@rootsweb.com" <nydutche-l@rootsweb.com>, "nyorange-l@rootsweb.com" <nyorange-l@rootsweb.com>, Joanne Potanovic <gatehilljo@optonline.net> REMINDER Program for Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 7PM at New City Library Genealogical Society of Rockland County Topic: Bannerman Castle Speaker: Barbara Gottlock co-author of Bannerman Castle. On maps it is Pollopel Island: 6 3/4 acres of mostly rock; 1,000 feet from the eastern shore of the Hudson just north of Cold Spring; 50 miles north of New York City. During the Revolutionary War, patriots unsuccessfully tried to stop the British from advancing north of the island by sinking 106 upright logs tipped in iron points in the Hudson. Later, General George Washington approved plans to use the island as a military prison. The castle's builder, Frank Bannerman VI, was a Scottish patriot, very proud of his descent from one of the few MacDonald's to survive the massacre at Glencoe in 1692. Acting on behalf of the Crown, a rival clan, the Campbells, slaughtered all MacDonald males ages 12-70. One escaped to the hills with the clan banner -- and from that day on, his family name was Bannerman. The Bannerman family immigrated to the United States in 1854, when Frank was three, and settled in Brooklyn. At the close of the Civil War, the U.S. government auctioned off military goods by the ton, mostly to be scrapped for their metal. Young Frank was one of the first to realize that much of what was being sold had a market value higher than scrap. Under his guidance, Bannerman's became the world's largest buyer of surplus military equipment. When they outgrew their store at 501 Broadway in NYC, they looked around for a larger and safer location in which to store their ammunition. Pollopel Island was selected. Frank Bannerman personally designed the island's buildings, docks, turrets, garden walls and moat in the style of old Scottish castles. Almost all of it was done without professional help from architects, engineers and contractors. And all of it was elaborately decorated, from biblical quotations cast into all fireplace mantles, to a shield between the towers with a coat of arms, and a wreath of thistle leaves and flowers. The castle was constructed between 1901 and 1918. It was primarily an ammunitions storage site but the Bannermans summered there too. Attend this interesting talk about a little known architectural wonder and learn about the struggle to maintain its existence. For more information, visit: http://www.hudsonriver.com/bannerman.htm Barbara L. de Mare, Esq. Historian, genealogist and attorney 155 Polifly Road Hackensack, New Jersey 07601 (201) 567-9440 office BarbaradeMare@yahoo.com (home) http://historygenealogyesq.blogspot.com/ Barbara L. de Mare, Esq. Historian, genealogist and attorney 155 Polifly Road Hackensack, New Jersey 07601 (201) 567-9440 office BarbaradeMare@yahoo.com (home) http://historygenealogyesq.blogspot.com/ Barbara L. de Mare, Esq. Historian, genealogist and attorney 155 Polifly Road Hackensack, New Jersey 07601 (201) 567-9440 office BarbaradeMare@yahoo.com (home) http://historygenealogyesq.blogspot.com/ Barbara L. de Mare, Esq. Historian, genealogist and attorney 155 Polifly Road Hackensack, New Jersey 07601 (201) 567-9440 office BarbaradeMare@yahoo.com (home) http://historygenealogyesq.blogspot.com/