Kimball Castle

A stone castle built as the summer estate of railroad magnate Benjamin Ames Kimball, overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee.

On August 27, 2025, Kimball Castle burned. The fire consumed the main structure of the medieval-inspired estate that had overlooked Lake Winnipesaukee from its hilltop perch in Gilford, New Hampshire, for 131 years. Investigators determined the castle was a total loss, with demolition likely necessary. But for decades before the fire, visitors and caretakers reported that the castle's original owner had never truly left, and the question now is whether the destruction of his beloved estate will finally release Benjamin Ames Kimball or bind him to the ruins forever. Benjamin Ames Kimball was born on August 22, 1833, in Boscawen, New Hampshire. He earned his bachelor of science degree from Dartmouth College in 1854 and entered the railroad industry as a draftsman, rising through the ranks to become superintendent of the mechanical department for the Concord Railroad. In 1873, Kimball returned to railroading as an executive, and by 1895 he had ascended to the presidency of the Concord and Montreal Railroad, making him one of the most powerful business figures in northern New England. In 1894, Kimball commissioned the construction of a summer estate on a commanding hilltop in Gilford, overlooking the vast expanse of Lake Winnipesaukee. The castle was inspired by medieval German architecture, reportedly built for $50,000, and featured stone walls, turrets, and a carriage house that reflected the ambitions of a man who had risen from draftsman to railroad president. Kimball used the estate as his summer retreat until his death in 1920 at his primary residence in Concord. The castle and its associated outbuildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The paranormal reports at Kimball Castle centered on the main building and the carriage house. Mysterious lights were seen in the castle's windows at hours when the building was locked and unoccupied, and figures were glimpsed moving behind the glass in rooms that were verified to be empty. The caretaker reported that a heavy mahogany door in the castle would be found shut no matter how many times it was deliberately left open, as if someone inside insisted on privacy. In Mrs. Kimball's sewing room, lights went on and off by themselves with a regularity that suggested intention rather than electrical fault. Antique clocks in the castle, dormant for years, would suddenly begin working again, only to stop just as inexplicably. In the carriage house kitchen, visitors reported a strong sensation of a presence and some claimed to see the apparition of a figure watching them from the shadows. Cold spots appeared throughout the property without explanation, and an atmosphere of being observed permeated the entire estate. The castle changed hands multiple times after Kimball's death, and proposals to convert it into an event center or lodging facility were discussed as recently as 2019. Then came the fire. The August 2025 blaze destroyed the main structure, and NBC Boston reported that police were investigating the cause. What remains is the stone foundation, the outbuildings, and the hilltop view of Lake Winnipesaukee that drew Benjamin Ames Kimball to this spot in the first place. The lights in the windows are dark now, the mahogany door is ash, and the sewing room no longer exists. But the hill remains, and those who visit the ruins after dark report that the feeling of being watched has not diminished.