A Historical Oddity on the Hudson River

Guest: Thom Johnson, co-author, "Bannerman Castle"

Originally built as an island arsenal by the father of the Army-Navy store, Francis Bannerman VI, Bannerman’s Castle appears to be an old-world Scottish castle plopped down in the middle of the Hudson River. Thom Johnson delights us with stories of romances on the island, munitions misfiring, and connecting young people with adventure. 

 

Japanese Samurai Castles

Guest:  Jennifer Mitchelhill, author, “Samurai Castles: History / Architecture / Visitors' Guides”

Medieval Japanese castles are just as ornate, if not more so, than European castles of their day. They protect an inner tower behind concentric layers of stone fortifications. Over the centuries, hundreds of these were deliberately destroyed as unwelcome reminders of feudal powers, but 19 of them remain intact today. Mitchelhill had her first glimpse of one castle's ruins when she snuck in to one restoration site during a gap year. As an architectural student, she was hooked. She explains, for example, that they were engineered anciently to withstand earthquakes. 

 

Castle Stories

Guest: Sam Payne, host, "The Apple Seed," BYUradio

Sam Payne revisits his youth through a book about castles.