Comments on: Huntington Bay, NY: The Rise and Fall of Ferguson’s Castle

By: Irv

Irv — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:31:31 +0000

Not a postscript! it’s just the beginning … “all the way to eternity”.. Dougie Maclean
http://fergusonscastle.com/about.html

Irv

By: Robert Levrini

Robert Levrini — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:58:10 +0000

Irv,
This is a most precious gift. To see the woman of the story! It almost reminds me of John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Isabella Gardner, who was also an accentric lady of wealth and aesthetics.

By: Robert Levrini

Robert Levrini — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:53:08 +0000

How I dropped in here tonight is all very internet convoluted, but it got hold of me and I could not stop. I lived in Huntington from ’54 – ’69. I had taken a photo of the harbor doorway when I went back for my sister’s wedding in 1980. I was sickened to see what was left of such a beautiful structure.

I want to thank all of you who made comments that rekindled reminesces of my young days.

By: Ray Smith

Ray Smith — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:54:40 +0000

Just a quick update on my former next door neighbor’s house, and what may have been your friend Imogene’s house. It was a 1960′s style contemporary with the driveway off of E. Shore Road. There was also a gravel right-of-way driveway at the end of Castle Harbor Road that went to the back yard of this house, and the spot where the tennis courts of the Castle once were. Recently, this home was torn down, and a brand new larger one built. The driveway from E. Shore Road was eliminated, and the old right of way is the new driveway for the new home, now known as 16 Castle Harbor Road. I truly miss living there and the wonderful harbor views from the back of my house.

By: gothiccurios

gothiccurios — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:32:21 +0000

Alright, that’s fair. I was rude to say that it’s a monstrosity and I apologize for that. In fact, it’s entirely possible that from above the walls there’s a symbiosis between old and new that could be quite nice. It’s just a bit jarring to see from street level. While it’s not my cup of tea, to label it a monstrosity, especially as I’ve never seen anything but the top is was quite unfair, so my apologies to you and your parents as well. It’s good to know that what remained was incorporated into the design, and that solar and geothermal energy was utilized The loss of the old houses is certainly a polarizing issue on Long Island, as it is elsewhere. And one shouldn’t begrudge those who come along after the fact the right to do with the property what they see fit. In all honesty, I’m not sure what I would have one with the remains myself, and I doubt that anyone could have really done anything which would have made all parties happy. Thanks for illuminating me on what is probably a very interesting postscript to the story.

By: wanda

wanda — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:52:07 +0000

This is all very interesting to me, especially since my parents are the ones who bought what was left of the Ferguson Castle and built the current structure on the remains of the old footings. They were sad to see that something so beautiful had been mostly destroyed and were careful to make use of existing old walls, reflecting pool, and whatever gave the character of the old house, including the long covered stairway that went from the street where the doorway pictured still exists.
However, I have to say that the new home is a wonderful place to live as it has a quite elegance, large scale rooms, a classical 2 story atrium/entranceway, and the magnificent views. While it is modern, it certainly has integrity…. not a monstrosity by any stretch of the imagination. It’s sad that excessive nostalgia has allowed you to judge the new home so harshly when you know it would have been impossible, impractical and, quite honestly pretensious to have tried to recreate the style and details of a castle which could only have been built with inexpensive labor and access to European artifacts at the time it was built. This would have probably resulted in a structure that was cartoonish at best.
And, for my parents, this home was a labor of love and something they should be proud of as they overcame the obstacles and challenges of the site and even incorporated solar and geothermal energy before most people were doing so.

In spite of this, I thank you for this enjoyable article.

By: Irv

Irv — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:58:30 +0000

A link to a portrait of our beautiful hostess….
Mrs. Juliana Armour Ferguson…

http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=42977

By: Irv

Irv — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:44:02 +0000

Rumor#1
The Copa connection.. (Copacabana nite club N.Y.) An aunt of one of the crew had overheard a heated conversation while serving drinks there. The patron was being accused of skimming money and that they knew where it was hidden.. “at that haunted castle in Huntington Bay”. The box was also purported to contain a book of names and events that were not conducive to longevity.

Rumor#2
That the castle had been bugged by unscrupulous individuals along with certain
authorities to ascertain the whereabouts of the cash box. Necessitating only
mouth to ear whisper and hand signal communication.

Rumor#3
That the castle was haunted by a woman, dogs and demons. Any disrespect to the
premises of any kind would bring catastrophic consequence to all party’s. Our
motive was greed only, cash only and maybe a little romance.

to be continued:

By: gothiccurios

gothiccurios — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:42:52 +0000

Always go on. Until the voices tell you to stop.

By: Irv

Irv — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:30:05 +0000

Early fall 1969… six teenagers, three males, three females. Our mission?…find the hidden cash box!… the box was just a rumor at the time but was enough incentive to proceed into The Haunted Castle as it was known to us.. The mission was well planed. Flashlights, crowbar, hammer, dark clothes and a map drawn on a napkin. Previous attempts by older, wiser associates resulted into confiscated vehicles, heavy fines and sometimes jail time… All failed to get in. We were dropped just east of the compound after midnight, made are way north through a wooded area up some steps to a heavily boarded up window. A cats paw gently pulled nails until I was able to squeeze through a lifted corner. Into a large black room I dropped. Flashlight looking to my right were two large french doors off a terrace which I was able to open for the rest of the crew. The room lead to a large balcony that looked out over a giant ballroom surrounded by two tiers of rooms almost like an indoor motel. The autumn moon lit up the room through a thousand panes of glass forming the ceiling. I remember thinking could the broken panes ever be replaced.. to the left was a giant locked door leading to the bowels of this now becoming eerie adventure. The sound of cracking glass from below had the girls begging retreat Ghosts? (laugh!) our ride won’t be back till 8am. We have to get that door open or we’ve risked allot for nothing.. We all heard the feint sound of a weeping woman… boy was I wrong! work on the door went slow because the girls kept clinging to us…
Finally open…

This is the beginning of an account I penned years ago before I ever heard the name Ferguson..
Shall I go on???

Irv