East Haddam, Connecticut is a quaint New England town situated on the east bank of the Connecticut River, a few miles upstream from where it enters Long Island Sound. First settled in 1685, the town now boasts a fine Opera House, historic homes and churches, and a number of notable restaurants. Nearby are two state parks and the Chapman’s Pond Nature Preserve. 
The Goodspeed Opera House was built in 1876 by William Goodspeed, a shipbuilder, merchant, and banker. Restored in 1958, this gem of Victorian architecture today serves as a venue for musical revivals.
Spanning the Connecticut River, with one terminus anchored squarely in the town center, is the East Haddam Bridge, built in 1913 and reputed to be the longest swing bridge in the world. A local landmark, it is considered by many as an engineering wonder.
About 4 miles south of the town is the Gillette Castle State Park, which was my destination today. This amazing edifice was built by William Gillette, a wealthy late 19th century thespian, best known for his portrayal on stage of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Begun in 1914 and completed in 1919 at a cost of about a million dollars, the 24-room mansion has granite walls 4-5 feet thick and 24 oddly-shaped windows. I was especially intrigued by the intricately carved woodwork and the raffia wall panels. We weren’t allowed to photograph the castle interior, so you’ll have to take my word for it that it’s quite as fabulous as the exterior. Here are some of the better photos I took, mostly of the exterior from different angles.
The Castle is situated atop the most southerly hill in a chain known as the Seven Sisters, overlooking the Connecticut River. On this fine summer day, the view was spectacular. I also walked down to the river’s edge and took more photos from that vantage point.
After I toured the Castle, I decided to hike out along one of the many trails criss-crossing the property. Within a few hundred feet on this particular trail, which was laid out over an abandoned rail line, I startled a deer, as you can see in the center of the middle photo. In the absence of natural predators, these relentless herbivores are now so numerous in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut that they’ve become quite the public nuisance. In that I’m somewhat partial to large trees, I admired the Castle Oak (Quercus alba) depicted in the photo on the right, though I don’t know the story behind it. Eco-activists will be delighted to hear that the restrooms at the newly refurbished Visitors’ Center feature Clivus self-composting toilets!
Here is the link to a State of Connecticut webpage with more information about the state park. If you are interested in rocks and minerals, do follow the geology link.