History of Castle Hill

Once the summer home of Chicago plumbing magnate Richard T. Crane, Jr., Castle Hill is a stately reminder of a bygone era.  The 59-room Great House was the centerpiece of Crane's 3,500 acre estate, a unique complex of natural and designed landscapes bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Essex and Ipswich River Estuaries to the east and west.  The Great House was built in 1928, and its grounds adorned with a saltwater swimming pool, tennis courts, formal and rose gardens, and even a hedge maze. Castle Hill also incorporated elements of a working farm, including livestock, a dairy, an orchard, and vegetable gardens, making the estate almost entirely self-sufficient.  For these reasons, Castle Hill was dedicated a National Historic Landmark in 1998.

Members of the Crane family lived at Castle Hill until 1949, when the property was bequeathed to The Trustees of Reservations, a Massachusetts nonprofit conservation organization.  While in The Trustees' care, the Italian Garden and the Casino (once guest quarters for the Great House) have been restored, and the 19th-century Brown Cottage at the foot of Castle Hill has been renovated into the ten-room luxury Inn at Castle Hill. 

Today, Castle Hill offers many opportunities for the public to enjoy this spectacular landscape, including an annual 4th of July Celebration, an Architectural Lecture Series, concerts, tours and children's programs throughout the year.