Gillette, William, 1936 - 1937
Scope and Contents
This file includes a group of nine documents (eight letters and a sketched map.) Five of the nine documents are letters written by Gillette to Judge Kenneth Wynne. The four additional items include one letter from Governor Wilbur Cross to Kenneth Wynne, another memorandum from Kenneth Wynne to Moses Berkman, a letter from Kenneth Wynne to Moses Berkman, and a sketched map of directions to Gillette’s Castle.
Dates
- Creation: 1936 - 1937
Creator
- From the Collection: Burritt, Elihu, 1810-1879 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to the public and must be used in the John M.K. Davis Reading Room of the Watkinson Library, Trinity College Library, Hartford, Connecticut. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws when using this collection.
Biographical / Historical
William Hooker Gillette was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 24, 1853. He was the youngest of the six children of Francis Gillette, reformer and United States Senator, and his wife Elisabeth Daggett Hooker. On his mother’s side, he was descended from the Reverend Thomas Hooker, one of the founders of Hartford.
William Gillette is best known for his role on the stage. Gillette displayed histrionic talents early in his life and was later urged to adopt the stage as a career by Mark Twain, a neighbor of his family in Hartford. It was Twain’s influence which aided Gillette in securing his first amateur acting positions. In later years, he became a well-known playwright, producer and actor. One of Gillette’s most popular acting roles was that of the great detective Sherlock Holmes which he first played from 1899 until 1936.
Although Gillette "retired" from the stage many times, retirement, at least in Gillette’s case, never meant inactivity. In 1919, following his first retirement from the stage, Gillette built a twenty-fourroom castle overlooking the Connecticut River at Hadlyme, Connecticut. He added a three-mile miniature railway over which he enjoyed driving a variety of guests including Dr. Albert Einstein.
Extent
From the Collection: .75 Cubic Feet (2 flat boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the Watkinson Library - Archival Collections Repository
Trinity College Library
300 Summit St.
Hartford Connecticut 06106