I am sargent frank mark... curator of Castle On The Delaware.

I was here when the first stone was laid and never left.

Good to meet you, You’re standing at Castle on the Delaware.

Built in 1896. Designed by Isaac Perry—New York State’s official architect. Same man who shaped the Capitol in Albany. But this one... this Castle... he built for Walton.

We raised it with our own hands... Local soldiers... Local craftsmen... Hauled granite from the hills. Timber from the valley... When the roads turned to mud, we floated supplies down the Delaware River. She took near eighteen months.

It housed the Thirty-Third Separate Company... We drilled here. Bunked here... Sent our boys off to war... from these very steps.

Down in the basement—you’ll still find the remand cell... Iron bars... Cold stone. Held prisoners of war and local men awaiting trial. I stood watch down there more times than I care to count.

But this Castle wasn’t just for discipline... It held dances. Benefits... Send-offs. I’ve seen it dressed in bunting and candlelight— filled with fiddles... laughter... and pride.

It served nearly a full century—until 1965, when it was decommissioned. Howard Mealus bought it in ’66 for twelve thousand dollars. Became The White Castle Department Store for a time.