We visited St. Dominic’s in Proctor, Vermont and noticed that it bears a strong resemblance to Christ the King Church in Rutland. Unfortunately, we were unable to access the inside. I do not believe that any masses are currently being celebrated there.
On a different side of things, we went to Wilson Castle, also located in Proctor. This was a fascinating place. It was built in the 1880s, which was pretty apparent just by looking at the arches, the style and color of the brick, the turret; it reminded me of Glatfelter Hall at Gettysburg College, which was built in 1889 if I recall correctly. You could tell that the family that lived here was prominent.
The center hall and fireplace are stunning. The main staircase is grand, and the living room is amazing. It’s such a shame that the castle is crumbling everywhere. It seems like it is “maintained” by a non-profit, but unfortunately, it’s maintenance and upkeep have been neglected for many years. The ceilings are quite literally crumbling. Plaster is falling on the floor and lath can be seen throughout. There is a lot of water damage, and bricks are falling off the outside of the building.
If you can look past the decay, you can imagine what a beauty this house must have been in its heyday. The third floor has a large ball room with two balconies off of it and another grand hallway that used to house the billiard table. The bedrooms on the third floor are large and bright. Unfortunately, there are places where you can see daylight pouring in through gaps in the roof and ceiling.
The second floor has additional bedrooms and also the servants’ quarters. The servants’ bedrooms were larger than I expected them to be.
The kitchen was also very interesting. The original hot water heater is still there, along with a stove and a woodstove that I would be thrilled to have in my kitchen! It was very spacious, and was attached to a large butler’s pantry that led into a gorgeous dining room with an intricately carved fireplace. There are many beautiful architectural marvels throughout, including the sitting space in on of the turrets, the wood paneling, the detailed light fixtures, and the wide, open and welcoming porch.
Despite the owners of the Castle not being Catholic, you can see a chair in the living room that was given to Colonel Wilson by Pope Pius XII. According to the Castle, the chair was gifted to Wilson by the Pope because he helped him with some technology troubles relating to the radio. There is also an Estey organ that was fitted with decorative pipes. The sign at the Castle says that the pipes are from a monastery in Altoona, Pennsylvania, but I am going to have to do some more digging to find out what that connection is. I cannot find a monastery that is located in Altoona, so perhaps there used to be one and it was closed, or they are off on the location. And the trifecta of Catholic things wraps up with three rosary windows that are set in a group of three at the landing of the grand staircase. The information at the Castle states that they are from a large Cathedral in Lyon, France that was being deconstructed. However, I am skeptical of this information since, to my knowledge the Lyon Cathedral has never been deconstructed since its completion in 1476 AD. My guess is that it was from a church in Lyon, but again, more research is needed to get to the bottom of this mystery. There do not seem to be many deconstructed or deconsecrated churches in Lyon, and both of the ones I have found were not the cathedral.
Finally, one cannot talk about Wilson Castle without mentioning the mania that some folks have over supposed paranormal activity that takes place there. I neither experienced this, nor do I have great enthusiasm for ghost hunting, but for someone who enjoys these types of activities, perhaps an overnight stay in the Castle is just the thing. You can always read more about it on their website! https://www.wilsoncastle.com/