Wilson Castle
Proctor, Vermont
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The person behind this architectural gem was Dr. John George Johnson. While a “professor of the massage treatment,” an eccentric woman named Sarah Amelia Robbins placed herself under John’s care, citing nervous troubles. Although married to Augusta Johnson at the time, John succeeded in gaining Sarah’s affection, and she became completely infatuated with him.
Nonetheless, John left to study medicine in London, and Sarah managed to be on the same ship. Her friends later learned they had been telling people they were married and had their first child, all while John continued to support his other family in New York. When the couple returned to America, Sarah allegedly agreed to pay between $50,000 and $100,000 to John’s wife, Augusta, for her to agree to a divorce. Shortly after the divorce was granted, they were married and moved to Vermont, where Sarah’s family wealth enabled John to purchase 115 acres in the beautiful, steeply sloped Green Mountains of central Vermont. Construction of the castle began in 1885, and they resided in it for much of the build. Sarah’s tragic story deepens the mystery: she was haunted by the belief that her husband never truly loved her and only married her for her wealth. She also never fully recovered from the loss of their first child, who passed away as an infant—grief that weighed heavily on her. Work on the castle halted when Sarah’s family grew concerned over John’s extravagant spending. Having already sunk a staggering $1.3 million into the project (roughly ~$60 million today), the castle remained unfinished. Her family realized that Sarah was being taken advantage of and insisted she divorce John immediately. With Sarah and her family finally putting a stop to John’s spending, he abruptly left the castle around 1900. A short time later, Sarah sold the castle for a fraction of its worth and relocated to Connecticut with her son Eliot, their surviving child. The castle changed hands numerous times before being purchased by Herbert Lee Wilson in 1939. Wilson, a radio pioneer and WWII Colonel, passed away in 1981, and the castle has been passed down through generations ever since. Spanning 13,131 square feet with 32 rooms, 10 bedrooms, and 13 fireplaces, the castle holds many secrets, including hidden compartments where Wilson stashed valuables and rumors of a secret passageway. Although beautifully finished, the atmosphere is undeniably chilling, with stories waiting to be uncovered. |
Investigations at this location:
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