The Bannerman's Island

Bannerman's Island

Bannerman's Island

Open to public

Nelsonville (New York), United States

I was asked to photograph it (legally) by the Trust group thats restoring the island,which was a life long dream of mine.

The history of the island began in 1900 when Francis Bannerman purchased the island. Located in the Hudson River near Beacon, New York, he had built the castle as a Arsenal storage, for the weapony company he ran, mostly from New York City.

Unfortunately, the construction ceased at Bannerman's death in 1918. On August 1920, 200 tons of shells and powder exploded in an ancillary structure, destroying a portion of the complex. Bannerman's sales of military weapons to civilians declined during the early 20th century as a result of state and federal legislation. After the sinking of the ferryboat Pollepel, which had served the island, in a storm in 1950, the Arsenal and island were essentially left vacant. The island and buildings were bought by New York State in 1967, after the old military merchandise had been removed, and tours of the island were given in 1968. However, on August 8, 1969, fire devastated the Arsenal, and the roofs and floors were destroyed. The island was placed off-limits to the public.

From May to October, the site is now open to public. Available tours consist of guided walking tours on the island with access either by passenger tour boat or as part of a guided kayak excursion. More details on the official website.

Related content

The Belding Corticelli abandoned plant
Coaticook, Quebec (Canada)

It is in 2004 that the old factory Belding Corticelli has been shut down. Since then, it has been abandoned and floors has been waved at the mercy of weather that infiltrate by the roof and windows. Long time ago, there has been manufactured...

The curse of the Dow brewery
Montréal, Quebec (Canada)

Although this building was built around 1861, the history of the Dow brewery began nearly 60 years earlier, in 1790, when a farmer named Thomas Dunn started in the beer industry in La Prairie, who was an important stopover for travelers who went...

Geo W. Reed plant - Photo by Pierre Bourgault
Montréal, Quebec (Canada)

No doubt, this is a mysterious building. There is no reliable information about this abandoned building on the Internet. Impossible to corroborate the details found here and there. Indeed, even the name of the building can’t be confirmed. While...

The abandoned workshop

This is the story of the saw manufacturing industry where methods have not changed for decades. The result is this building that has certainly been enlarged over the years, but the interior has retained its old-fashioned charm. You should know...