If you ever thought New England was any less influenced by the British, check out the castles in this region.
There are so many castles in Massachusetts that at least 13 can be considered the most beautiful.
These are 13 castles or castle towers built to look like medieval walls, all within the state lines of MA.
See where these castles are in Massachusetts and find out if you can visit them during a tour.
Maybe this year, for leaf-peeping season, you will drive up toward Boston and Methuen to walk around a couple of castles.
Start with this review of the 13 most beautiful castles in Massachusetts.
Top Castles in Massachusetts
Winnekenni Castle
Located in Haverhill, Winnekenni Castle is one of the most well-maintained castles in MA.
It is also one of the most authentically constructed medieval-style Gothic castles in the region.
The castle overlooks Kenoza Lake and is surrounded by 700 acres of the Winnekenni Park Conservation Area.
The castle is open to public and private events and visitors are encouraged to explore the grounds via walking trails.
Hammond Castle
Inventor John Hays Hammond, Jr. built Hammond Castle for his residence and professional laboratory.
The castle was constructed in a medieval style in the late 1920s.
It is located in Gloucester by the sea.
Constructing Hammond Castle cost half a million dollars, which was a fortune back then.
By the way, Hammond was famous for inventing radio control and the electric dog.
You can see more about his inventions and the hundreds of patents he had, as well as tons of artifacts related to castles at the Hammond Castle Museum.
The museum is part of the castle and is included in the castle tour.
Boston University Castle
The Boston University Castle is a prominent feature on the Boston University campus in Boston, MA.
The college is a private nonsectarian university with Methodist Church affiliations.
Housing the Dahod Family Alumni Center, the BU Castle is home to the Great Hall and event spaces.
The castle was constructed in 1915 in a Tudor Revival style of architecture.
This is a wonderful castle to visit when you are on the campus of Boston University.
Whether you are taking a campus tour or simply there to see the castle, you can visit BU Castle at any time.
Usen Castle
Another well-kept medieval-style castle in Massachusetts is Usen Castle.
This beautiful castle is located in the watchmaking city of Waltham, MA.
Constructed in 1928, Usen Castle is modeled after the Lismore Castle located in Ireland.
Today, Usen Castle serves as dorm rooms for Brandeis University, but only two main towers are left standing.
The rest of the castle has been demolished due to being unsafe for habitation.
Bancroft Castle
In Groton, MA on Gibbet Hill is Bancroft Castle, which was constructed in 1906.
The medieval castle remains as a single large tower that features traditional crenelation around the top and stone walls in an octagonal shape.
The castle is currently open to the general public as a park with surrounding open spaces and walking trails.
Take your dogs for a walk at Bancroft Castle, which is not currently inhabited.
Castle Brattahlid or Herreshoff Castle
Herreshoff Castle is located in Marblehead, MA, and was formerly called Castle Brattahlid.
Constructed a century ago in 1926, the castle was a recreation of Erik the Red’s Steep Slope or Castle Brattahlid.
Used as a bed and breakfast, Herreshoff Castle is a formative structure.
There is a traditional medieval castle style with four corner turrets detailed with crenelation at the top.
Gothic architecture continues with the shape of the windows and the use of stone for the exterior walls.
This tower is rich in history and especially interesting for anyone studying Nordic or Viking heritage.
Prospect Hill Castle
Somewhat older than other Massachusetts castles is Prospect Hill Castle.
This castle was constructed in Somerville in 1903 in what was formerly known as Charlestown.
Today Prospect Hill is part of the US National Park Service and open to the public.
What you will see when you get there is the Prospect Hill Monument honoring fallen soldiers dating back to 1777.
As such, this is not technically a castle that you could live in.
The monument is a tall four-stories-high stone structure built in the manner of a medieval castle.
It is also the location that is supposedly where the first American flag was raised, and by George Washington himself.
Stand on the same hill that holds so much American history when you visit Prospect Hill Castle.
Lawson Tower
A unique type of castle structure in Massachusetts is Lawson Tower.
Here is a single castle turret, which is a tall, standalone tower used for protective purposes.
Lawson Tower is situated in Scituate Center, MA, and features walkable gardens.
These are open to the public, as is the tower that was named for Thomas Lawson.
Lawson Tower, as well as Lawson Park, are named for Thomas Lawson, who also had an estate that he called Dreamworld in Scituate Center.
Kellogg Terrace or Searles Castle
Searles Castle is a French chateau located in Great Barrington, MA.
Built to look like a medieval castle, the Searles Castle is named so because Edward Francis Searles was the interior designer.
He later became the estate owner when he married the woman of the castle, Mary Sherwood Hopkins.
Her husband, Mark Hopkins, who was a founder of the Central Pacific Railroad, died in the first decade of building the estate.
When Hopkins built the castle in 1875, it was called Kellogg Terrace.
Later it was renamed Searles Castle for the new man on deck.
In the castle, there is a lot of grandeur and extravagance, including the Louis XV Versailles Room which was imported from Italy.
Searles Castle was included as a setting in a few feature films, including Before and After from 1996.
Cohasset Castle
For those readers in the market for a castle, Cohasset Castle is for sale.
For less than 1 million dollars, you can purchase a Massachusetts castle with a three-car garage.
The castle structure reflects Tudor architecture and sits on 10.71 acres.
Cohasset Castle has six bedrooms, four and a half baths, and 7,540 square feet of space.
Jenny Lind Tower
The Jenny Lind Tower is another tall castle structure standing above the Massachusetts tree line.
It was built in North Truro, MA near an old Air Force base.
The tower is medieval in architectural style, featuring crenelations, or stone teeth, at the top.
Jenny Lind is an actual person who was a famous singer in Sweden.
She came to the US and Lindmania from her popularity resulted in the product after product bearing her name.
You can still find the Jenny Lind nursery line sold at Beth Bath and Beyond and Crate and Barrel.
The products featuring her name include the Jenny Lind Tower.
This is because she climbed to the top of the very tower in a riot due to an oversold concert show.
This is also the reason why the tower still stands and bears her name.
The Saunders Castle at Park Plaza
There is a castle in Boston called The Saunders Castle at Park Plaza that sits on the Back Bay.
This is a stronghold and large event hall that hosts weddings, conventions, and conferences in nearly 15,000 square feet of space.
In addition, visitors to The Saunders Castle at Park Plaza can regularly see cultural exhibits.
For instance, right now the castle has works of art on display by Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Claude Monet.
State Armory Castle
The State Armory in Fall River, Massachusetts is a historic building constructed in 1895.
Also called the State Armory Castle, the building is quite statuesque.
There are more modern Renaissance-style architectural elements to the castle, yet you still see the medieval crenelations at the top of the walls.
The castle is built using granite stone for more stability and security in its use as an armory.
As a result, the castle is one of the more beautiful buildings in the state.
Massachusetts Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Massachusetts Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Frequently Asked Questions
How many castles are there in Massachusetts?
There are approximately 20 to 30 castles and towers that qualify as castle remnants in Massachusetts.
You can also find monuments in MA that look like castle towers.
There truly is a staunch castle culture in this New England state.
It almost makes you wonder if you are in the US or in Great Britain when you are driving through the countryside looking at these stately homes.
Does it cost money to tour castles in Massachusetts?
Some castles do cost money for tour admission, while other castles are free to visit.
Typically, if a castle has a museum attached, you can expect to pay for admission.
However, outdoors and abandoned castles are generally free to tour at any time.
These may also be managed by a city, state, or national parks service.
What is there to do when visiting the most beautiful castles in MA?
Some of the castles in MA provide space for public offices and museums.
Other castles are open to the public with viewing and educational opportunities.
Many MA castles and castle gardens and grounds are open to the public as parks for recreational purposes.
You can also take hikes at some castles in MA and swim around the beach areas in those located on seashores.
Are there any abandoned castles in Massachusetts?
Yes, there are a few abandoned castles in MA, including Bancroft Tower Castle, which is perhaps the most well-known.
Be careful when visiting any abandoned castle, as these are often home to ghostly hauntings, as well as dangerous plants and animals.
You might also run into a zombie or two when touring abandoned castles.
What is the most famous beautiful castle in MA?
Hammond Castle and the Hammond Castle Museum is the top-rated castle to visit in MA, as well as in New England.
This castle has the most to do and see when visiting the castle grounds, in relation to castle architecture, history, and culture.
If you want to learn as much as possible about Massachusetts castles in general, start with a visit to Hammond Castle.
