Dundas Castle is located near Roscoe, New York, surrounded by the Catskill Mountains’ woodlands. It is also known as Craig-E-Clair Castle, possibly to differentiate it from Dundas Castle in Scotland.
The original Dundas Castle in Scotland was a 15th-century castle structure, and the New York counterpart is quite similar. (In the future, we shall only discuss the American Dundas Castle, not the Scottish equivalent.)
Dundas Castle has the appearance of a splendid medieval palace, but it was not always that way. Bradford Lee Gilbert constructed a vacation residence for himself in the early 1880s.
Gilbert called the location Craig-E-Clair, which is also the name of a genuine place in Scotland. This was considered to be in honor of Gilbert’s Scottish bride.
When Gilbert died in 1911, the property and home were put up for sale and purchased by Maurice Sternbek, but they were quickly sold to Ralph Würz-Dundas in 1915. Dundas began construction on a fairytale castle before World War I.
Dundas appears to have integrated the frame of Gilbert’s previous mansion into the construction of his new castle. The structure was L-shaped and had a courtyard or bailey.
There are about 30 rooms on the inside, including an entry vestibule, sitting room, dining room, and two spectacular staircases. Although there was certainly electricity within the castle, gorgeous fireplaces were built in several of the rooms, and some of the baths featured fine porcelain tiles.
Dundas Castle is an example of Anglo-American manor architecture in New York during the beginning of the twentieth century, as well as the Middle Ages. A bridge and massive iron gates were built in the surrounding region.
Unfortunately, Dundas did not survive to see his castle built since he died in 1921.
Josephine Wurts-Dundas, his wife, had a history of mental illness. She was admitted to a sanatorium a year after her spouse died. As a result, Muriel Harmer Wurts-Dundas, their daughter, acquired the castle and the money that had gone to her mother.
Muriel married and went to England in 1930. Muriel’s husband began to suspect his wife’s mental stability after a while. Muriel, like her mother, was admitted to a sanatorium. It has even been argued that Muriel’s husband was also eventually committed. As a result, no one in the family was able to dwell at the castle.
This property was purchased for $47,500 by an associate of African American Masons on May 2, 1949. Prince Hall Temple Associates, a firm formed to manage property assets, completed the purchase.
Following that, the castle had a variety of purposes. It was originally remodeled and utilized as a summer camp for youngsters. The district’s Masonic branch then purchased property and a home in 1949.
Originally, the Masons intended to build a house for the aged and needy. Instead, in the 1950s, they chose to turn the castle into a vacation house. However, the Masons later abandoned this plan.
Alexandra Charitan is the author of www.onlylivingirlny.com.
There are several legends related with Dundas’ abandoned castle. One mentions Josephine’s spirit walking around the home. Another tale says that at full moon, three heart-shaped ponds in the grounds fill with blood. Some believe that this castle is cursed since none of the initial owners were able to dwell in it.
Dundas Castle was added on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The Masons and the Open Space Institute struck a collaborative agreement to safeguard the castle in 2005.
In 2018, it was revealed that the castle had been purchased and is now privately owned. Make sure you have permission from the new owner before visiting. Thank you so much to Alexandra Charitan, and please visit www.onlylivingirlny.com for more interesting stuff.