Elda Castle – The Best Dressed Castle

Greg McAvoy
November 2, 2022

The Man Behind the Moose

Some would call him a pioneer in comfortable and fashionable outdoor wear. The man who made an animal logo on the left breast cool. A businessman cheated out of his own company by the one he relied on most. The king of Elda Castle – David T. Abercrombie.

Born in Baltimore on June 6, 1867, David T. Abercrombie was a child of Scottish decent. He was one of ten children in the family of John Abercrombie and Elizabeth Sarah Daniel. He spent the majority of his early life growing up in Baltimore, going to Baltimore City College, and eventually becoming a civil engineer as well as a topographer for Norfolk & Western Railroad in West Virginia.

His experience as a topographer would soon lead him towards the dense and unforgiving wilderness of the southeast United States mapping routes for future railroads. It was in these forests that he began to understand just how necessary durable, yet comfortable, outdoor wear and equipment is. On June 4, 1982, Abercrombie Co. was born. It began in a small waterfront shop in downtown Manhattan. It was in New York where Abercrombie could boast his high-end sporting goods and clothes.

Son of a Fitch

Abercrombie Co. steadily grew as a reputable brand and could always anticipate satisfied customers. One regular customer, wealthy businessman Ezra Fitch, was certainly satisfied. He truly believed in what Abercrombie sold, and in 1900 he bought major stock in the company. The company continued to thrive. In 1904, the company was rebranded as Abercrombie & Fitch Co. An enormous rebrand for a company whose chief officers fight like a married couple.

Alright, I lied. Abercrombie was not cheated out of the company he started. I’m sure Ezra Fitch was actually a great guy. The two bickered constantly about the future of the company amidst all their success. Finally, Abercrombie had enough, and in 1907 he sold his stock in the company to Fitch, leaving the future of Abercrombie & Fitch in Ezra’s hands.

Fitch Outfits the Future

Ezra Fitch began to develop the company for the future with his own agenda. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. caught the eyes of many prominent names at the time. Theodore Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Ernest Hemingway are a few of the names you might have heard of if you don’t live under a rock. Fitch outfitted Charles Lindbergh for his monumental trip across the Atlantic Ocean. He provided the world with all the necessary clothing and equipment to undertake massive explorations, as well as just everyday normal life.

Today, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. have become something of a lifestyle brand. While they still are certainly in the market for weathering outdoor terrain, they expanded into a much larger brand to satisfy anyone under the sun. I also just found out they own Hollister. I had no clue.

Many celebrities got their modeling start here, such as Channing Tatum, Olivia Wilde, Ashton Kutcher, to name a few. They work with a couple of the biggest names in the industry right now, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, in their own respective lifestyle line. But this post is not about the success of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. This is about the man who bought a castle because why the hell not, he’s rich. A cool walk down the company’s memory lane can be found right here on their website.

Elda Castle

I think it’s safe to say anyone with the ability to buy a piece of property like Abercrombie’s ‘Elda Castle’ probably would. Constructed in 1928, this castle rests on 22 acres of land in Ossining, New York. The origin of Elda Castle derives from the sons and daughters of Abercrombie: Elizabeth, Lucy, David, and Abbott. The first initial of each name is where ‘Elda’ comes from.

Elda itself is a castle-like edifice with a steel skeleton. The castle contains many archways and windows, and was once host to twenty-five rooms, including servant’s quarters. The 4,337 square foot home was where Abercrombie would spend the rest of his life inhabiting. Unfortunately, Elda Castle eventually became Ea Castle.

His daughter Lucy died tragically in 1929 while working in Abercrombie’s factory in Ossining. A spark set off a mixture a mixture of gasoline and paraffin. She was rushed to the hospital and sadly succumbed to her injuries. His son also tragically died in 1937 at a ranch in Wyoming after a hard kick in the abdomen by a horse. Both accidental and both horrifically sad

The Haunted Mansion?

As for any paranormal and haunting experience while we were there, there are none. The place did not have any deep, dark, scary basement. Have you ever walked into a room and thought to yourself, “Oof, something bad happened here.” I never walked into a room and felt a chill run down my spine. There was never a moment where I felt as if we were not alone, which I am very much thankful for. I handle situations like that just as well as a five-year old child would.

It makes sense though. As far as history goes, no one ever tragically or mysteriously died there. David T. Abercrombie passed away in 1937 of rheumatic fever. Sad, but not very haunting. Lucy passed away in the hospital and David passed away in Wyoming. The spirits are calm at Elda Castle.

Our Experience

Elda Castle was stunning. The sun was setting on a crisp fall day. The trees had turned but had not fully died yet. A cool breeze ran through the castle. It was the type of setting to really bring a tear to your eye.

We had parked near a small hiking trail and walked up towards Elda. There were a couple houses on our right, but for the most part it was pretty empty leading up. The driveway was long and by the time we got to the castle there was not any signs of civilization around.

Before going into the Elda, we noticed a smaller guesthouse-esq building all the way in the back of the property which we were interested in. The inside was pretty empty but had a spiral staircase leading down to the basement. It is always tough trusting a rusty spiral staircase in places like these. Down there was a ton of knocked over dressers along with different clutter from long ago. I am always intrigued by the books and dated items that can be found at these abandoned places. There is always, without fail, a manual on some computer setup and troubleshooting. We then went upstairs and peeked up at the open loft, but there was only a couch across a very rotted floor. I feel sorry for whoever tries to squeeze in a nap on that.

Inside Elda

We went back up to Elda Castle and walked around the building admiring the architecture. While I have nothing professional or intellectual to say about the architecture, I can say this: it was pretty neat. Elda had some very cool artwork inside, and my favorite part about the entire place was the crow’s nest atop it all. I would have been up there 24/7 as a child simply hanging out. Down below was the open courtyard, which had many options as to which room you would like step into next.

The rooms are all very similar in style, and nothing was left behind in each of them to determine if each one served a specific purpose. I do know he had a gun room, and his daughter Lucy had a memorial room, but there was nothing to determine which it could be.

Overall, the place was beautiful. Even rundown and abandoned, Elda Castle is still a sight to behold. It makes you wonder what it must have looked like when stepping into the place in its hey-day. I hope the pictures can back my claims up, and hopefully someday you have the chance to take a trip up to Ossining and check it out for yourself!