Local News

Historic castle in N.H. destroyed in fire, police investigating

“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."

In this photo taken Wednesday Aug. 7, 2013 Kimball Castle is seen overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford, N.H. Jim Cole/AP, File

By Dialynn Dwyer

August 27, 2025

1 minute to read

Authorities are investigating a Wednesday fire that destroyed a historic castle in New Hampshire.

Kimball Castle in Gilford, built in the late 1880s overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee, will likely need to be torn down following the blaze, officials told WMUR.

“That’s probably going to signal the end to the building,” Gilford Fire Chief Stephen Carrier told WMUR. “There’s still some hot embers in the building in the cellar hole.”

According to the station, firefighters started receiving calls about a fire in the town around 3 a.m., with the reports initially indicating there was a large brush fire on the side of Route 11 or Lakeshore Drive.

Crews found the fire at the castle, at 59 Lockes Hill Road, but the flames quickly spread to the surrounding brush, burning about 2-acres, according to WMUR.

“We actually went to a second alarm for the building fire,” Carrier told the station. “It was a fully involved building. The roof had collapsed and the floors were beginning to collapse, and it was beginning to spread to the brush around the building.”

Around 8 a.m., Gilford police warned residents that Route 11 was temporarily shut down as firefighters worked the fire.

The department said it, along with the state fire marshal’s office, is searching for any video or photos from surveillance cameras, trail cameras, or cell phones related to the fire.

“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,” the department said.

The building has been ordered to be taken down as a result of the “instability and fire damage,” Carrier told WMUR.

Kimball Castle was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.