The Wentworth Castle

Construction of the Castle was begun in 1891 for General Marshall Clark Wentworth and his wife, Georgia (Trickey) Wentworth, the original proprietors of Thorn Mountain House, which became Wentworth Hall.

New York architect William A. Bates, who designed many of the buildings at Wentworth Hall, designed the Castle. The design for the Castle was reportedly based on plans originally developed by Mrs. Wentworth. An earlier rendition of the design appearing in the December 1885 issue of Building depicts a structure, which is considerably more modest and lacks the second tower.

After General Wentworth’s death in 1915, Mrs. Wentworth sold the Castle in 1917 to the new owners of Wentworth Hall, Nathan and Estelle Amster. Under a live-in lease agreement, Mrs. Wentworth was allowed to occupy the mansion until her death in 1930. The building remained unoccupied for 29 years after her death and deteriorated considerably. Countess Mara de Bninska, an international humanitarian, philanthropist and hostess who repaired and modernized the building purchased the Castle in 1959. David Arata purchased it in 1982 and Don and Carol Jackson purchased it in 1989.