Pollepel Island /pɒlɨˈpɛl/ is an island in the Hudson River. Also known as Pollopel Island, Pollopel's Island, Bannerman's Island, and Bannerman Island, it is the site of Bannerman's Castle. Pollepel Island is about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City and about 1,000 feet (300 m) from the Hudson River's eastern shore. It contains about 6.5 acres (26,000 m2), most of it rock.
The principal feature on the island is Bannerman's Castle, an abandoned military surplus warehouse. One side of the castle carries the words "Bannerman's Island Arsenal". It was built in the style of a castle by Gilded Age businessman Francis Bannerman VI (1851–1918), who had purchased the island in 1901.
The name pollepel is a Dutch word meaning "(wooden) ladle". The Bannerman Castle Trust organization, however, ascribes the name to a folklore tale about a young girl named Polly Pell becoming stranded on the island.
Read more about Pollepel Island: Early History, Bannerman's Castle, In Literature, In Music, In Movies
Famous quotes containing the word island:
“An island always pleases my imagination, even the smallest, as a small continent and integral portion of the globe. I have a fancy for building my hut on one. Even a bare, grassy isle, which I can see entirely over at a glance, has some undefined and mysterious charm for me.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)