While recently in Aberdeen preparing for our convention, I had a wonderful visit to the fascinating Easton Castle. The original 22-room Queen Ann house was built by EA Bliss in 1889 on a hill northwest of town. He painted it green. The exterior was later clad in yellow bricks by the second owners, prompting locals to begin calling it Easton Castle.
Frank Baum visited and mentioned it in his paper, The Saturday Evening Pioneer. His character “Mrs Bilkins” described parties hosted in the big green house on the hill. If I remember correctly, Baum particularly admired the second floor library. No surprise; I saw it and gasped.
The house also was also a favorite of Matilda Jewell Gage.
She could see it from her own home as a child and served as the Easton’s insurance agent as an adult. The current owners remember her fondly.
Sally Roesch Wagner had a bit of a 1990 documentary about Matilda Joslyn Gage filmed there; it stood in for the Gage house in Fayetteville, NY, which Sally didn’t acquire until 2002.
Surrounded by more than 20 unspoiled acres, the property is home to extensive woods and wild life. Deer grazed on the lawn during my visit.
The Castle has been in the Holman family since 1967. The Holman daughters who grew up there, Margaret and Rebecca, still call it home today, and will be showing us through it Saturday, July 19. as we explore Aberdeen.
Jane Albright
