Did you know that if you are in the Boston area, you can visit a medieval castle similar to ones you might see in older parts of the world like Europe? Located less than an hour north of Boston in the seaside city of Gloucester is Hammond Castle Museum. During the holiday season the castle is even more special to visit when it hosts Deck The Halls. Hammond Castle was the home of inventor John Hays Hammond Jr.
Life of John Hays Hammond Jr.
You may be thinking to yourself, “I’ve never heard of John Hays Hammond Jr” and I must admit, until I visited Hammond Castle, I had never heard of him either. His inventions are still in use today and he was inspired by and learned from some of the most famous inventors including Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. After learning from the best John Hayes Hammond Jr went on to have over 800 foreign and domestic patents on over 400 inventions. His most important inventions were in the field of Radio Control. His inventions are still in use today in radio remote control devices, unmanned combat aerial vehicles, missile guidance systems and mechanisms in pipe organs.
You can see exhibits about his inventions on display in the Hammond Castle Museum.
When Hammond was a young child, his family moved to England for a period of time and it was there that his love of castles began. In the late 1920s, Hammond began construction on the castle that would become not just his home but also his laboratory. The castle was eventually opened to the public as a museum.
Here we are almost 100 years after the castle was built, and people are still visiting the castle as John Hayes Hammond Jr wanted to see his beautiful home and learn about this accomplished inventor.
Location of Hammond Castle Museum
Hammond Castle Museum is located less than an hour from Boston in the seaside city of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The city borders Rockport, Ipswich, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, which make up Cape Ann. Gloucester is known for its fishing and ship building industries. There is a large Portuguese and Italian population in the city as many came to Gloucester years ago to work in the fishing industry. The movie, the Perfect Storm was based in Gloucester. While visiting Hammond Castle Museum, make sure to stop by the waterfront to see the Fisherman’s Memorial. You can also check out some of the beautiful beaches, like Good Harbor Beach and Wingaersheek Beach.
The easiest way to get to Hammond Castle Museum from Boston is by car. Be warned though that the parking lot is on the smaller size and quite narrow. If you are visiting Boston and don’t have a car, you can take the Rockport line on the commuter rail to the Gloucester stop and take a rideshare from there. Another great way to go by train is to book a trip with Keolis Mass Adventures. They will provide you with a weekend pass to the commuter rail and provide you with transportation to and from the Gloucester stop. This was how I visited Hammond Castle Museum and it was a great way to do it; we even had time to stop at the Fisherman’s Memorial on the way back to the train. And as an added bonus, we were able to wait in the warm van for the train instead of standing out on the cold platform. There is also the option of booking a private tour or a tour that includes other nearby sites like Salem.
What to see inside Hammond Castle Museum
There’s a lot to see when visiting the Hammond Castle Museum. It’s a must visit for people who like both castles and also museums. You can opt to take a guided or self guided tour.
Your visit will start with a short film which will help you learn more about the life of John Hays Hammond Jr. and why he built this castle not just to live and work in, but to share with future generations.
From there you can visit the numerous rooms and exhibits at Hammond Castle Museum. Throughout the rooms you will see many artifacts that Hammond collected throughout his travels around the world, including extensive visits to Italy.
Here are the different rooms you can see while visiting the Hammond Castle Museum:
- The Great Hall: This will be one of the first rooms you enter and its stunning. It may remind you of a church featuring a Catalonian Choir Stall dating back to the 15th century and the Hammond Organ, a pipe organ that was used by many notable organists during Hammond’s time. The architecture of the Great Hall will make you feel like you are stepping back into Medieval Times.
- The Courtyard: This was one of the spots in the castle that I wanted to see the most. There is just something beautiful about a courtyard in the middle of a castle. And this one was covered by a ceiling to protect you from the elements, very necessary in Massachusetts in the winter! The courtyard includes an 8 1/2-foot-deep heated swimming pool that was built to resemble an ancient Roman pool. This is a stunning spot to get a nice photo. Located directly in front of the pool is a Roman sarcophagus which was excavated in the 1800s on a vineyard just outside of Rome.
- Dining Room: Coming out of the Great Hall go to the left of the Courtyard and here you will find the Dining Room. This was used more for entertaining than for regular meals. The beautiful tiles in this room came from a French firm.
- Library: Next to the dining room is the library. Here you can find an extensive collection of books in a large selection of subjects including science, history, music and astrology. There is also a collection of some interesting musical instruments. One of the most interesting features of this room though is the ceiling. While it may seem like your normal everyday flat ceiling, its actually an 18-inch dome ceiling known as a whisper ceiling. The ceiling and the round shape of the room amplify sound. If you stand in the center of the room and whisper, you can hear your voice amplified at a regular volume. But only the one in the middle of the room speaking can hear it, those in other areas of the room will not hear. Very interesting feature and fun to test it our while you are there.
- Kitchen and Lower Den: From here you can take the stairs down one floor. Here you will find the kitchen and the staff room as well as the Lower Den. In the Lower Den there is a hidden door where you will find a secret wine cellar.
- Invention Room and Natalie Hays Hammond Exhibit Room: Going back upstairs and heading to the other side of the courtyard, you will find the Invention Room and the temporary exhibit room named after Hammond’s sister Natalie. In the invention room, there are quite of few exhibits on Hammond’s inventions. Next door in the Natalie Hays Hammond Exhibit room, they display temporary exhibits. When I was visiting in November 2025, they had an exhibit on Hammond’s travels thru Italy where he found some of the items for the castle.
- Gothic Bedroom and Early American Guest Room: Walking up the stairs from the Invention Room, you will find two bedrooms. The Gothic Bedroom features a bronze bust of Cardinal Richard Cushing who inherited ownership of the museum when Hammond passed away in 1965. For this reason, the room is also referred to as “the Cardinal’s Room”. Next to the Gothic Bedroom is the Early American Guest Bedroom. This is often referred to as the “Room Without Doors”. Per the trend at the time, the doors had invisible hinges and were wallpapered to match the walls. When the doors were shut, if you woke up late at night, you might actually have trouble finding the door to get out of the room to use the restroom.
Deck The Halls
Starting just before Thanksgiving and lasting thru the weekend after New Years, Hammond Castle Museum features Deck The Halls for the holiday season. During this time, the Castle is decorated with multiple Christmas trees and other holiday decor. It’s a stunning site to see the castle so beautifully decorated.
For a truly special holiday experience, you can visit for Deck The Halls by Candlelight on Thursday evenings in December. The holiday spirit will truly come alive when you visit during the evenings with the castle all lit up.
If you are a fan of Gingerbread houses, there is even a gingerbread replica of the Hammond Castle Museum.
Hammond Castle Museum Grounds
After touring the inside of the Hammond Castle Museum, make sure to take a walk around the grounds as well.
Located on the Atlantic Ocean, there are some really stunning views. Next to the castle is an arched window with a view of the ocean below.
From here you can walk down a path to get closer to the water for even more beautiful views.
When you come back up this path, there is another path that will take you around the front of the castle where you can get some photos of the outside of the building and the drawbridge.
There is also a small garden and the burial site of John Hays Hammond Jr.
If you happen to be visiting the Boston area, I highly recommend a visit to Hammond Castle Museum. For your time there, you might just feel like you’ve been transported back in time to the medieval era.
It’s not every day you can visit a castle in the US.
If you are now inspired to visit this castle and take a trip to the Boston area, let Beyond The Miles Travel use their expertise on area to help you plan the perfect trip.
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