This month: Friends gather to celebrate Sherlock Holmes's 167th birthday! Loads of news segments about the Castle, covering holiday decorations and the first day hikes. We report the loss of George Haag, a stalwart partner at the Castle and Devil's Hopyard. Sherlock visits Paul Schiller and, of course, Test Your Trivia!
Accomplishments and Happenings
  • January 6 was the 167th birthday of Sherlock Holmes, and the Friends celebrated it with a members-only get-together at Grand Central Station. There was bubbly, there were cupcakes, there were speeches of the Sherlockian kind. Vice President Paul Schiller treated a small cohort of attendees to a private tour of the Castle (abiding to all COVID guidelines). Check it out in this photo essay of the festivities.

  • Our publicity about the holiday decorations was picked up by lots of media outlets (see a couple of them on our "in the spotlight" page. The Gillettes reported that there were loads of Castle visitors who came because they heard about the decorations in the news. Notably, we were a "Holiday Bright Spot" on WFSB, Channel 3 Eyewitness News. We're so pleased to have been able to raise a bit of cheer for so many visitors!


  • New Friends member Ian V. compiled a collection of videos and audio recordings of William Gillette, including an amusing impersonation of Mark Twain. Check it out here!

  • We are saddened to report that the park lost one of our own over the holidays. George Haag, one of the stalwart maintainers who worked at Devil's Hopyard and Gillette Castle, passed away Dec. 24. You can read his obituary on page 6 of the East Haddam News (scroll down), or view and offer condolences at Dignity Memorial. The Friends are planning to plant a "tall and strong" tree in his honor at Devil's Hopyard.
Test Your Trivia!
The January edition
A compilation of little-known facts about William Gillette and Sherlock Holmes

Jan. 1, 1881: The date of Sherlock Holmes's first meeting with a character that becomes a staple in the Sherlock Holmes saga. Who did he meet, and in what story was this character introduced?

Jan. 6, 1854: This will be an easy one for the Sherlockians amongst us, but we can't let it go without a mention. Jan. 6 is the day many folks around the world celebrate the special birthday of an extraordinary man. Who is this man?

Jan. 19, 1809: Another birthday! This date is the birthday of the author credited with creating the detective-story genre. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle regarded this author as "the supreme original short story writer of all time.” Who is this author?

Read the answers and more in this month's edition of "Test Your Trivia!"
Where's Sherlock?
Sherlock visits Paul Schiller!

Over the course of his career as a mascot for the Friends, Sherlock has spent quite a lot of time with Paul Schiller, the Friends' vice president. For this month's travelogue, Sherlock decided to really get to know Paul. He learned quite a bit and, as it turns out, the visit was quite a workout!
Sherlock shout-out. Sherlock is thrilled to welcome new members Shay C., John and Rose D., John and Lynn K., Veronica L., Joan L., Paul S., and Ian V.!