Kimball Castle likely to be torn down following fire

GILFORD — A fire at Kimball Castle Wednesday morning is being investigated as suspicious. Firefighters say the local landmark, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places, was heavily damaged and will need to be torn down.

“The place doesn’t have power, and no one lives in it,” Gilford Deputy Police Chief Dustin Parent said. “Our fire department viewed it as suspicious for those reasons alone.”

Parent said the fact there was no electricity, and it is private property, caused Gilford Fire Department to contact the New Hampshire Fire Marshal’s Office to investigate. State Public Information Officer Tyler Dumont deferred all comments to Gilford Fire.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Brad Ober, a 911 call was made at 3:42 a.m. on Aug 27, to report of a fire, and seven minutes later firefighters discovered the origin was the castle.

Fire Chief Stephen Carrier said the Gilford companies were called to a large outside fire near Scenic Drive on Route 11. Calls followed reporting a large brush fire on Route 11, as well as a building fire on Lockes Hill Road.

“Responding units requested a first alarm and arrived on scene to find Kimball Castle fully involved and fire spreading to the brush around it,” a press release from Gilford Fire read. “Crews stretched hand lines to begin to knock down the visible fire and spreading brush fire.”

A forestry response was requested for the brush fire, with assistance called in shortly after. Alton Fire personnel arrived at the scene to find the fire on the side of Lake Shore Road, below the castle.

“They stopped and began fighting the fire from below,” the release stated.

The scene was under control by around 4:47 a.m., but authorities were still spraying water on the castle and brush along Route 11 at 10 a.m. About two acres of brush burned in the blaze.

Kimball Castle is located at 59 Lockes Hill Road. One side is completely wooded and the other contains three other structures, including one Ober referred to as the “carriage house.” He said there have been short-term rentals and events held there in the past, but both Ober and Parent did not know if the carriage house was occupied at the time. No injuries were reported, and there was also no damage to other nearby structures.

Route 11 was blocked to traffic between Lockes Hill and about 0.5 miles from the scenic overlook. At 9 a.m., firefighters were still in the woods putting water on hot spots, and a charred area, damp from being contained, could be seen next to a series of fire and emergency vehicles.

At 9:30 a.m., smoke could still be seen coming from the castle, which had visible burn marks on the side facing the driveway. Gilford firefighters and members of the Fire Marshal’s Office were huddled at the scene, and a forest ranger with NH Forest and Lands was seen leaving the castle with an axe in hand. Firefighters extended a hose from a nearby engine, blasting water onto hot spots within the castle walls that caused plumes of smoke to fill the area.

Ober said one challenge firefighters faced was water supply, as crews were bringing water from Marine Patrol headquarters located across the street on Dock Road. The only other challenge, he said, was human power until more crews arrived. Ober added dry conditions contributed to the spread of the fire.

The Gilford Fire Department was assisted by departments from Laconia, Alton, Belmont, Bristol, Center Harbor, Holderness, Meredith, Moultonborough, New Hampton, Sanbornton and Tilton-Northfield. Also assisting were Gilford Police and Department of Public Works, the town Department of Planning and Land Use, Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid, NH Forest and Lands, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The castle was built in 1894, when Benjamin Ames Kimball, a state representative who was also the president of the Concord and Montreal Railroad, hired an architect to build the impressive stone structure, according to report by The Sun in 2019.

It was reportedly built for $50,000, and inspired by Medieval German castles. Kimball died in 1920, and the property was willed to his daughter Charlotte, who died in 1960. She left the land to the Mary Mitchell Humane Society with a $400,000 endowment, but the money disappeared, and the area went into disrepair.

Ober said the fire heavily damaged the castle, and he believed it would be torn down despite the walls remaining intact. This was confirmed by Carrier, who said the building is a complete loss.

“The floors, ceilings and roof were completely consumed and collapsed,” Carrier said. “The remaining structure is unsafe and creates a significant safety hazard. It is sad to see this happen to a building with such historical significance. The owner was contacted and the structure has been ordered to be taken down due to instability and fire damage.”

While there were efforts within the last decade to renovate and repurpose the castle, it has remained vacant and was deteriorating.

The property was purchased by Patrick and Melissa Starkey under the name Lockes Hill LLC in 2018, and they declined to comment on Wednesday.

Parent acknowledged there was a long history of trespassing in the area, and he said it is heavily posted that “nobody is allowed up there.” On Wednesday afternoon, Gilford police solicited a request for videos and photographs from “surveillance cameras, trail cameras, cell phones, etc.”

“Anyone with footage of the fire, suspicious persons, and/or suspicious vehicles in the immediate area is asked to submit them to aid in this investigation,” a post on the Gilford Police website stated. Citizens with information can visit gilfordpdnh.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/kimballcastlefire to submit it.

The fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office, and Gilford police and fire-rescue.