Abandoned Connecticut

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Connecticut, Thank you for tuning in

As you can tell we haven’t posted to this website in a long while… 7 years to be exact. People get busy and time moves on and an issue with the domain name recently had me come to the decision to archive this page with no further updates. I want to thank the 1,263,353 people who have viewed this website over the last 12 years… and have shared the interest and fascination with the history that many of us have forgotten. I’ve been amazed how to this day radio stations and news outlets still quote explorations we did years ago. I started this website in 2012 because I was tired of the same stories of the same places I’d see over and over so I thought “let’s showcase some new ones”… well as it turns out the residents of Connecticut wanted to see the same thing. I have never made a dime off this website, I posted for the pure joy of sharing these explorations with you.

I will continue to post occasionally as I have been on our Facebook and YouTube pages sharing the latest nostalgia and history around Connecticut.

Once again, thank you and Happy Exploring

-Mike

AbandonedCT.com

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Hearthstone Castle

A 19th century castle fit for a king, must be in Europe right? Wrong... Hearthstone Castle which was completed in 1899 sits nestled deep in the woods of Danbury, CT. This three story castle designed by Ernest G.W. Dietrich once boasted over 17 rooms complimented with imported Italian woodwork and 8 stone fireplaces. All the stone used to build this marvel was quarried entirely on site and transported by a small railway system. E Starr Sanford who was said to be a noted photographer at the time was the castles first owner, using it as a "summer cottage". Sanford and his wife spent only five years at Hearthstone before selling to new owners. Ownership of the castle changed hands over the years with its final residents being"The Jennings" moving out in 1987, the same year the castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Soon after changing hands to city ownership the castle took a turn for the worse, it sat and deteriorating through the 1990's and into the 2000's. In 2004 the roof of the castle had collapsed and the castle from that moment on was literally a shell of its former self... The inside is completely destroyed and just a pile of rubble with small traces of what it once was lying under old floor boards. As of 2017 all attempts to renovate this once proud castle have been abandoned and plans to demolish the site are underway.

Explorers beware this site is extremely deteriorated and dangerous. Going inside the castle is not recommended.

UPDATE 03/27/18: Reports that the castle is in the beginning phases of demolition, trees are marked to be removed.

UPDATE: 07/15/20: A local radio station reports the grounds will be cleaned up. The castle still stands in its deteriorated state.