The Prologue...
Written by Michael Yannette
Admin of the "Castle Dracula of Wildwood" Official Facebook Group
Admin of the "Castle Dracula of Wildwood" Official Facebook Group
It all started in Wildwood, New Jersey. Once a small fishing community a few miles northeast of America’s First Seaside Resort, Cape May. With the boom of tourism in the 19th century, Wildwood would see a massive change from an island of fishermen and their families into a major tourist destination, attracting people from Philadelphia to as far north as New York City. With the creation of its massive boardwalk, it would be amusements, attractions and entertainment now dominating the sights and sounds of the beach. Wildwood developed into one of the largest areas for amusements in the nation, well before Anaheim or even Orlando. And for all of those amusements, the one type of attraction that Wildwood would have the most of were haunted attractions. From boat rides, walkthroughs, cars rides, pretzels, funhouses, and even indoor rollercoasters... Wildwood held the record for the most haunted attractions in one location in the world. But of all of them... only one would literally dominate Wildwood's 7 mile boardwalk for almost 26 years - Castle Dracula.
The Different Faces of Castle Dracula
Images from Kirk Hastings (President of Wildwood Crest Historical Society), Robert Elsey Sr., & Emil Salvini's page Tales of the New Jersey Shore on Blog Spot.com
The history of Castle Dracula and its legacy of fright is almost as old as Bram Stoker’s novel itself. In 1919, Edward E. Rhoades created The Old Mill on Playland Pier located on the western side of the boardwalk between Schellenger & Cedar Avenues. It was a tunnel of love boat ride that was made using a concrete canal system for boats to float through a series of scenes in a continuous loop. Though Castle Dracula would not open for almost another 60 years later… the initial creation of the Old Mill and the Jack Rabbit wooden roller coaster would unknowingly serve as semi blue-print for the castle. However in the fall of 1960, the Cedar-Schellenger Corp demolished the Old Mine due to issues with the original structure causing its boats to continuously get stuck. For the 1961 season, its replacement would be the infamous Arabian Nights with updated canals allowing for better current flow and new boats. Several years later, Arabian Nights would transform into a circus theme until the closing of the 1976 season.
With the baby boomer generation now starting to become parents, their favorite seaside destination would experience the biggest boom the boardwalk had ever seen. Playland Pier however was looking to sell… and with the close of the 1976season, the property would be purchased by the Nickels’ Family and renamed "Marine West". The name was to separate itself from Marine Pier, which was sold to the Morey Brothers that same year. With this ground-breaking purchase, the old Arabian Nights would see its largest and final re-theming… becoming a dark dungeon with the canal’s painted red to give the illusion of blood. And the cherry on top of this horror sundae was a three-story walkthrough gothic castle built on top.
With the help of retired Disney Imagineers, prop-masters and scene designers from Universal Studios, local attraction & dark ride designer Fred Mahana, and many others… Castle Dracula was born. "Rumored" to be brought stone-by-stone from Transylvania, Castle Dracula Walkthrough & Dungeon Boat Ride would open its drawbridge for the 1977 season, entering into the history books as one of the three haunted attraction Titans of the Jersey Shore.
With the baby boomer generation now starting to become parents, their favorite seaside destination would experience the biggest boom the boardwalk had ever seen. Playland Pier however was looking to sell… and with the close of the 1976season, the property would be purchased by the Nickels’ Family and renamed "Marine West". The name was to separate itself from Marine Pier, which was sold to the Morey Brothers that same year. With this ground-breaking purchase, the old Arabian Nights would see its largest and final re-theming… becoming a dark dungeon with the canal’s painted red to give the illusion of blood. And the cherry on top of this horror sundae was a three-story walkthrough gothic castle built on top.
With the help of retired Disney Imagineers, prop-masters and scene designers from Universal Studios, local attraction & dark ride designer Fred Mahana, and many others… Castle Dracula was born. "Rumored" to be brought stone-by-stone from Transylvania, Castle Dracula Walkthrough & Dungeon Boat Ride would open its drawbridge for the 1977 season, entering into the history books as one of the three haunted attraction Titans of the Jersey Shore.
To Be Continued...
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Memories from the legendary Castle DraculaAn article originally published in 2002 for Haunted Attractions Magazine - Issue #29
Written by Dusti Lewars-Poole & Hal Rappaport
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There is more to a haunted house than horrified screams and strobe lights, and when New Jersey's Castle Dracula fell victim to the recklessness of two vandals last fall, generations of Castle staff and friends gathered in person and on the Internet to share stories about the haunt that so touched their lives. In those tales, one finds more than the show's history...one finds its heart.
"I saw the castle built in 1976 and 1977," recalls Jim Richter. "The Dungeon ride beneath the Castle was opened first, until the Castle itself was completed and finally opened in the summer of 1977." For the first two or three seasons, the Castle operated with as many as 15 to 20 characters at any one time, and the Dungeon boat ride below the Castle required a staff of 8 to 10. An additional 4 employees were used as breakers for the rest of the crew and there were several security staff for both attractions. Groups were let in 20-25 at a time. "We would show up each morning at about 11am and put on our makeup and costumes," remembers Jim. "The rides opened at 12 (noon). The managers would place us in our spots for the shift and assigned others to give us breaks on a rotation basis." The break people would start dinner breaks at about 4 p.m. and the actors would then be assigned their positions for the night shift. "In the early days, we were not permitted to break character or leave our respective work spots," recalls Jim. By the second season, air conditioning was added to the attraction, which made it more comfortable for actors and patrons alike. Jim has fond memories of the Nickels family, who owned the Castle. "They gave us pep talks, constructive criticism and at times a well deserved boot to keep us youngsters in line." Jim spent many seasons working for the Nickels in many different positions, castle ghoul, Castle manager, and later as head of maintenance for the Nickels Midway Pier. Now 45 years old, Jim looks back to the Castle as being "the most fun I've ever had while earning money."
"I haunted the Castle off and on from 1977 to 1985," remembers Anita Wheeler (then Anita Frietsch). "I started in the Dungeon, and moved up to the Castle itself as a "spotlight," or main, actor." When the castle opened, it had real rats as part of a display in a cage under the floor where patrons would walk right over them on the way out. "Sadly," recalls Anita, "the ones that put the rats there had no idea how to handle the baby rats when they were born. The big Dad Rats started eating the little ones." Patrons looking down would see the cute baby rats, and then see what was happening to them. "Grossed many folks out!" Anita recalls. "I'm a grandmother now, and sometimes have a tough time remembering a lot of what happened in that place...but it will always be my favorite job, as a Spook, and later as Manager," says Anita, who managed the attraction in 1985. "It was a great thing...and even if it does get re-built, it will never be as magical as it was way back when."
Mike Vlovick remembers standing out in front of the castle, waiting in line. "The creepy girls working the door outside would always try to scare me. I think they knew I was fascinated and terrified at the same time." Sneaking up behind Mike, they would say, "Lets take this little one in! He he he he he!"
Ed Kennedy, manager of Castle Dracula in the mid 80's, started working at the Haunt in 1981. "At the time, we had two crews - you either worked in the Dungeon or the Castle," he explains. Working in the Dungeon meant touching a part of dark ride history.
Despite these problems, Ed always preferred working the Dungeon rather than the Castle. "In the Castle," Ed explains, "you got a show, a presentation; in the Dungeon you got scared because there were points where you would be floating along, going from one point to another - you could feel like you weren't even moving - and then suddenly you'd be in another scene. You didn't get a show…you got a scare. We made no bones about it; it was pure scare."
Between 1981 and 1985, Ed advanced to the position of co-manager of the attraction. "It was a great time to be working at the Castle! We were the last of the grand dark scary places." After the Great Adventure fire in 1984, (See History of the Haunted Attraction, this issue) many Haunted Houses (including Brigantine's Castle) closed down due to loss of income or an inability to be brought up to the new, tougher building codes. "1985 to 1987 were the best years!" Ed enthuses. "As other area Haunts were closing, we got their actors, so we had the best of the best." Eric Princz and Paul Spatola were two that came to Dracula's from Brigantine Castle. "We had such a creative group of actors that I just threw the scripts away," recalls Ed. Classic horror-movie themes like Dracula, Frankenstein, and witches all remained a part of the show, and improvisation was the order of the day. "We ad-libbed a lot," admits Ed, "or did theme shows to break things up." For example, sometimes patrons would enter the castle to find a Rocky Horror theme. "We would try anything once;" explains Ed, "if it worked, we used it. If not, we wouldn't try it again."
Ed left the attraction in 1987. "When I think of the Castle, it wasn't the building that made it unique, it was the people that worked there. 2002 would have been the Castle's 25th year, and while they may try to reconstruct the original, you can't recreate perfection."
Castle Dracula was around long enough to allow at least one family to haunt its halls for two generations, and romance had time to blossom there as well! Colleen Kittrick first entered the Castle as a visitor at the age of 11, and years later won a job as an actor in the Haunt. "I still suffer from heel spurs because I [would work the] front room wearing spiked heels. [As I said] my lines, 'anything you touch can and will touch you back,' [I] would slam my heel down. It made a real loud bang and they would all jump!" she laughs. Colleen remembers manager Ed Kennedy as being "always mad at his monsters for yapping with me instead of going to the bathroom." In 1986, Colleen and Ed started dating and before long they were engaged. "He asked me if I would marry him...right in front of a group, recalls Colleen. "I said yes...He then called me a witch and proceeded to cut off my head in front of two-dozen people!" How romantic!
One of the actors that moved from Brigantine Castle to Castle Dracula was Eric Princz, now owner of Creative Design and Engineering. "I started out working at Brigantine Castle when I was 14 or 15," he explains. When the attraction closed in 1984, a group of actors moved over to Castle Dracula. "The Castle was a lot of fun. It did a lot more people than Brigantine had been doing," remembers Eric. "It was changing all the time; the crowds were wilder; things were crazier. It was just a fun building to work!"
As with many Haunted Houses, teenagers made up the bulk of the Castle staff. One ex-cast member, Scott Forbes, is now a Blackhawk pilot for the US military, but he still thinks fondly of the time between 1988 and 1990 that he haunted the Castle during the summer. One night in particular left a strong impression; an evening when the entire cast decided to base their performances around the Salem Witch Trials. "We invested our personal money in theatrical make-ups the Pier did not provide: latex (for scars and open wounds), spirit gum, and the ingredients for a whole lot of stage blood," Steve recalls. "We created hand-written invitations in blood to pass out to innocent bystanders of the Wildwood boardwalk, inviting one and all to the execution of an original Salem Witch." A young lady named Catrina played the part of the witch, decapitated over and over again in the Castle's execution scene. "It was an invigorating night! Lines were changed, costumes made, and all invested time to support the creative concept of one actress."
Scott describes the castle as not just a job, not just an attraction, but also a place to create and explore. In its own rights Castle Dracula could be likened to an amateur playhouse, albeit a macabre playhouse. "I will never forget the years I spent working at this New Jersey landmark or the bonds I made with the people who worked there. We became a family, and I still maintain the friendships I made so many years ago, working at what can never be called [just] another summer job."
Michael Yannette of Bergen County, a Dracula fan from the age of 6, remembers making the trip to Wildwood just to experience the Transylvania-based Haunt. ".... My father and I went to Castle Dracula during the summer of 1990 and I entered the castle [dressed] as Kid Dracula." After going through the Castle and the Dungeon, the attraction's manager saw Michael and, along with some of the castle workers, invited him into the attraction. "To my surprise, they talked to my father and then asked me if I could jump out of Dracula's picture atop the mantle of the fireplace." Too afraid at the time, Michael regrets to this day not jumping at the chance.
In 1992, Castle Dracula's last manager Alan Shoesmith started working at the haunt. "Having responsibility for an attraction like ours could sometimes drive you insane!" explains Alan, who quickly learned that dealing with the public even under the best of circumstance is difficult, and dealing with the Wildwood crowd combined with the "in your face" full-court press style the Castle is known for could sometimes lead to heated arguments that many times involved the police!
Part of the challenge of running a Haunted Attraction is fielding complaints from disgruntled customers and Alan remembers getting a call one day complaining of a blonde girl working the attraction. Apparently, this actress had made a very lasting impression on a small child going through the Dungeon with her parents. Alan had the actress in question take off her make up and come outside to speak with the distraught child. "I watched for a few seconds as she told the girl how she was just an actress and wanted to be in movies," recalls Alan, "and she said, I really don't know where you live, and I'm not going to be hiding under your bed..."
The actors felt at home in the attraction. They all felt as if it was "their" castle. This fostered a sense of pride and family, and this really helped them to work together. Sarah Prettyman, in describing the connections amongst the staff, says, "We all kind of fed off each other. If one person was energized and batty that night, then - whether you liked it or not - pretty soon you were running around as well."
"I saw the castle built in 1976 and 1977," recalls Jim Richter. "The Dungeon ride beneath the Castle was opened first, until the Castle itself was completed and finally opened in the summer of 1977." For the first two or three seasons, the Castle operated with as many as 15 to 20 characters at any one time, and the Dungeon boat ride below the Castle required a staff of 8 to 10. An additional 4 employees were used as breakers for the rest of the crew and there were several security staff for both attractions. Groups were let in 20-25 at a time. "We would show up each morning at about 11am and put on our makeup and costumes," remembers Jim. "The rides opened at 12 (noon). The managers would place us in our spots for the shift and assigned others to give us breaks on a rotation basis." The break people would start dinner breaks at about 4 p.m. and the actors would then be assigned their positions for the night shift. "In the early days, we were not permitted to break character or leave our respective work spots," recalls Jim. By the second season, air conditioning was added to the attraction, which made it more comfortable for actors and patrons alike. Jim has fond memories of the Nickels family, who owned the Castle. "They gave us pep talks, constructive criticism and at times a well deserved boot to keep us youngsters in line." Jim spent many seasons working for the Nickels in many different positions, castle ghoul, Castle manager, and later as head of maintenance for the Nickels Midway Pier. Now 45 years old, Jim looks back to the Castle as being "the most fun I've ever had while earning money."
"I haunted the Castle off and on from 1977 to 1985," remembers Anita Wheeler (then Anita Frietsch). "I started in the Dungeon, and moved up to the Castle itself as a "spotlight," or main, actor." When the castle opened, it had real rats as part of a display in a cage under the floor where patrons would walk right over them on the way out. "Sadly," recalls Anita, "the ones that put the rats there had no idea how to handle the baby rats when they were born. The big Dad Rats started eating the little ones." Patrons looking down would see the cute baby rats, and then see what was happening to them. "Grossed many folks out!" Anita recalls. "I'm a grandmother now, and sometimes have a tough time remembering a lot of what happened in that place...but it will always be my favorite job, as a Spook, and later as Manager," says Anita, who managed the attraction in 1985. "It was a great thing...and even if it does get re-built, it will never be as magical as it was way back when."
Mike Vlovick remembers standing out in front of the castle, waiting in line. "The creepy girls working the door outside would always try to scare me. I think they knew I was fascinated and terrified at the same time." Sneaking up behind Mike, they would say, "Lets take this little one in! He he he he he!"
Ed Kennedy, manager of Castle Dracula in the mid 80's, started working at the Haunt in 1981. "At the time, we had two crews - you either worked in the Dungeon or the Castle," he explains. Working in the Dungeon meant touching a part of dark ride history.
Despite these problems, Ed always preferred working the Dungeon rather than the Castle. "In the Castle," Ed explains, "you got a show, a presentation; in the Dungeon you got scared because there were points where you would be floating along, going from one point to another - you could feel like you weren't even moving - and then suddenly you'd be in another scene. You didn't get a show…you got a scare. We made no bones about it; it was pure scare."
Between 1981 and 1985, Ed advanced to the position of co-manager of the attraction. "It was a great time to be working at the Castle! We were the last of the grand dark scary places." After the Great Adventure fire in 1984, (See History of the Haunted Attraction, this issue) many Haunted Houses (including Brigantine's Castle) closed down due to loss of income or an inability to be brought up to the new, tougher building codes. "1985 to 1987 were the best years!" Ed enthuses. "As other area Haunts were closing, we got their actors, so we had the best of the best." Eric Princz and Paul Spatola were two that came to Dracula's from Brigantine Castle. "We had such a creative group of actors that I just threw the scripts away," recalls Ed. Classic horror-movie themes like Dracula, Frankenstein, and witches all remained a part of the show, and improvisation was the order of the day. "We ad-libbed a lot," admits Ed, "or did theme shows to break things up." For example, sometimes patrons would enter the castle to find a Rocky Horror theme. "We would try anything once;" explains Ed, "if it worked, we used it. If not, we wouldn't try it again."
Ed left the attraction in 1987. "When I think of the Castle, it wasn't the building that made it unique, it was the people that worked there. 2002 would have been the Castle's 25th year, and while they may try to reconstruct the original, you can't recreate perfection."
Castle Dracula was around long enough to allow at least one family to haunt its halls for two generations, and romance had time to blossom there as well! Colleen Kittrick first entered the Castle as a visitor at the age of 11, and years later won a job as an actor in the Haunt. "I still suffer from heel spurs because I [would work the] front room wearing spiked heels. [As I said] my lines, 'anything you touch can and will touch you back,' [I] would slam my heel down. It made a real loud bang and they would all jump!" she laughs. Colleen remembers manager Ed Kennedy as being "always mad at his monsters for yapping with me instead of going to the bathroom." In 1986, Colleen and Ed started dating and before long they were engaged. "He asked me if I would marry him...right in front of a group, recalls Colleen. "I said yes...He then called me a witch and proceeded to cut off my head in front of two-dozen people!" How romantic!
One of the actors that moved from Brigantine Castle to Castle Dracula was Eric Princz, now owner of Creative Design and Engineering. "I started out working at Brigantine Castle when I was 14 or 15," he explains. When the attraction closed in 1984, a group of actors moved over to Castle Dracula. "The Castle was a lot of fun. It did a lot more people than Brigantine had been doing," remembers Eric. "It was changing all the time; the crowds were wilder; things were crazier. It was just a fun building to work!"
As with many Haunted Houses, teenagers made up the bulk of the Castle staff. One ex-cast member, Scott Forbes, is now a Blackhawk pilot for the US military, but he still thinks fondly of the time between 1988 and 1990 that he haunted the Castle during the summer. One night in particular left a strong impression; an evening when the entire cast decided to base their performances around the Salem Witch Trials. "We invested our personal money in theatrical make-ups the Pier did not provide: latex (for scars and open wounds), spirit gum, and the ingredients for a whole lot of stage blood," Steve recalls. "We created hand-written invitations in blood to pass out to innocent bystanders of the Wildwood boardwalk, inviting one and all to the execution of an original Salem Witch." A young lady named Catrina played the part of the witch, decapitated over and over again in the Castle's execution scene. "It was an invigorating night! Lines were changed, costumes made, and all invested time to support the creative concept of one actress."
Scott describes the castle as not just a job, not just an attraction, but also a place to create and explore. In its own rights Castle Dracula could be likened to an amateur playhouse, albeit a macabre playhouse. "I will never forget the years I spent working at this New Jersey landmark or the bonds I made with the people who worked there. We became a family, and I still maintain the friendships I made so many years ago, working at what can never be called [just] another summer job."
Michael Yannette of Bergen County, a Dracula fan from the age of 6, remembers making the trip to Wildwood just to experience the Transylvania-based Haunt. ".... My father and I went to Castle Dracula during the summer of 1990 and I entered the castle [dressed] as Kid Dracula." After going through the Castle and the Dungeon, the attraction's manager saw Michael and, along with some of the castle workers, invited him into the attraction. "To my surprise, they talked to my father and then asked me if I could jump out of Dracula's picture atop the mantle of the fireplace." Too afraid at the time, Michael regrets to this day not jumping at the chance.
In 1992, Castle Dracula's last manager Alan Shoesmith started working at the haunt. "Having responsibility for an attraction like ours could sometimes drive you insane!" explains Alan, who quickly learned that dealing with the public even under the best of circumstance is difficult, and dealing with the Wildwood crowd combined with the "in your face" full-court press style the Castle is known for could sometimes lead to heated arguments that many times involved the police!
Part of the challenge of running a Haunted Attraction is fielding complaints from disgruntled customers and Alan remembers getting a call one day complaining of a blonde girl working the attraction. Apparently, this actress had made a very lasting impression on a small child going through the Dungeon with her parents. Alan had the actress in question take off her make up and come outside to speak with the distraught child. "I watched for a few seconds as she told the girl how she was just an actress and wanted to be in movies," recalls Alan, "and she said, I really don't know where you live, and I'm not going to be hiding under your bed..."
The actors felt at home in the attraction. They all felt as if it was "their" castle. This fostered a sense of pride and family, and this really helped them to work together. Sarah Prettyman, in describing the connections amongst the staff, says, "We all kind of fed off each other. If one person was energized and batty that night, then - whether you liked it or not - pretty soon you were running around as well."
- The Fire -
All of these memories were brought back into focus on that Wednesday morning, when an officer noticed smoke coming from the Castle, and then saw two boys running from the scene. Many onlookers cried as the building burned, feeling that they were losing a favorite childhood hangout or the place where they stole their first kiss. The fire rapidly consumed the halls and the labyrinth of the dark dungeon-like warrens within. Feeding on the mostly wooden and plaster construction, the fire finally reached the back wall, which, after 26 years of standing tall, gave way at around 2pm. This final collapse plunged the Castle into the much older Dungeon ride beneath the boardwalk. By Thursday, the entire structure had been destroyed.
Ed and Colleen Kennedy and their two children now live in Wildwood Crest, NJ, and were among the Castle crew who gathered to witness the final moments of the fire. "It was like watching the passing of an old friend!" Colleen sighs. "Oddly enough the spirits inside those walls were not evil and frightening, but that of laughter, good times, and memories of less complicated days!" By the time Ed arrived at the fire, most of the building was gone. "All that was left standing was the front wall." It was dark by then and when the flames broke through the roof the flames engulfed the knight that stood on the wall. "All you could see was his shape [through the flames]," recalls Ed. "Then the knight collapsed into the courtyard." After 26 years of protecting the castle the knight held his post. It took a major fire for him to fall.
Some props fared better. Several of the griffin-like gargoyles that stood guard around the Castle could be salvaged and remained in good condition. Shamon, a fiery demon that had lurked in the depths of the Dungeon for eons, nearly made it out in one piece. Unfortunately, shortly before he was due to be extracted from the building wreckage, an air conditioner fell from the remaining structure and shattered his head. The rest of his body was removed, and he (along with the gargoyles) currently resides in Eric Princz's workshop, where Eric will attempt to restore the demon to its former glory and make molds of the gargoyles for future castings.
Glenn Huber, a fan of the old Castle, relates; "…it was the only one left of its kind and I was heartbroken when I heard about it burning. All I could think was this is how Brigantine went down and I can't believe this is how Castle Dracula is going to end its illustrious career." Bill Maffei expressed these thoughts as he watched the Castle burn: "The Castle was a Wildwood landmark for the last 26 years. I was happy to be one of the first of many that entered the Castle on its opening day in 1977. And I watched on Jan.16th as another Wildwood childhood landmark disappeared within a few hours." Castle actors like Sarah Prettyman thought of the Castle as their second home, and several now feel a bit like orphans.
The Castle had, as it turns out, lasted longer than the Nickels had expected, and the news of the intended rebuilding came as a surprise to many. "I'll look forward to hearing what is going to be built in it's place," Alan muses, "and I hope they find some way to incorporate the century-old concrete trough that is the boat ride, and then I suppose that any new Castle would have some historic connection to what we remember as the Old Mill, Arabian Knights, Tunnel of Love or Dungeon Boat Ride."
Castle Dracula cast members had a reunion last June 1st, and each year that the attraction was open was represented by at least one cast member. Plans are already underway for a second reunion this fall. As plans continue to recreate Castle Dracula, one hopes that this future landmark will grow into an attraction with as much heart its predecessor had!
Ed and Colleen Kennedy and their two children now live in Wildwood Crest, NJ, and were among the Castle crew who gathered to witness the final moments of the fire. "It was like watching the passing of an old friend!" Colleen sighs. "Oddly enough the spirits inside those walls were not evil and frightening, but that of laughter, good times, and memories of less complicated days!" By the time Ed arrived at the fire, most of the building was gone. "All that was left standing was the front wall." It was dark by then and when the flames broke through the roof the flames engulfed the knight that stood on the wall. "All you could see was his shape [through the flames]," recalls Ed. "Then the knight collapsed into the courtyard." After 26 years of protecting the castle the knight held his post. It took a major fire for him to fall.
Some props fared better. Several of the griffin-like gargoyles that stood guard around the Castle could be salvaged and remained in good condition. Shamon, a fiery demon that had lurked in the depths of the Dungeon for eons, nearly made it out in one piece. Unfortunately, shortly before he was due to be extracted from the building wreckage, an air conditioner fell from the remaining structure and shattered his head. The rest of his body was removed, and he (along with the gargoyles) currently resides in Eric Princz's workshop, where Eric will attempt to restore the demon to its former glory and make molds of the gargoyles for future castings.
Glenn Huber, a fan of the old Castle, relates; "…it was the only one left of its kind and I was heartbroken when I heard about it burning. All I could think was this is how Brigantine went down and I can't believe this is how Castle Dracula is going to end its illustrious career." Bill Maffei expressed these thoughts as he watched the Castle burn: "The Castle was a Wildwood landmark for the last 26 years. I was happy to be one of the first of many that entered the Castle on its opening day in 1977. And I watched on Jan.16th as another Wildwood childhood landmark disappeared within a few hours." Castle actors like Sarah Prettyman thought of the Castle as their second home, and several now feel a bit like orphans.
The Castle had, as it turns out, lasted longer than the Nickels had expected, and the news of the intended rebuilding came as a surprise to many. "I'll look forward to hearing what is going to be built in it's place," Alan muses, "and I hope they find some way to incorporate the century-old concrete trough that is the boat ride, and then I suppose that any new Castle would have some historic connection to what we remember as the Old Mill, Arabian Knights, Tunnel of Love or Dungeon Boat Ride."
Castle Dracula cast members had a reunion last June 1st, and each year that the attraction was open was represented by at least one cast member. Plans are already underway for a second reunion this fall. As plans continue to recreate Castle Dracula, one hopes that this future landmark will grow into an attraction with as much heart its predecessor had!
- Teens Given Probation for Fire -
In April of 2002, two teenage boys were sentenced to three years probation and other penalties for starting a fire that destroyed Castle Dracula, a Wildwood Boardwalk landmark for the last 25 years. The boys, ages 15 and 16, live in Lower Township and Wildwood Crest, respectively, and each pleaded guilty on March 19 to one count of arson. Assistant Cape May County Prosecutor Bob Wells said the sentence took into consideration the two months, from Jan. 22 to March 19, when they served an in-home detention using electronic monitoring bracelets.
Superior Court Judge Kyran Connor gave the teens the maximum sentence that the court could impose, plus a suspended sentenced of 53 days' detention at a juvenile facility that is pending on the successful completion of their probation. In addition, the teenagers were sentenced to 90 days of community service, participation in the Fire Hawks program operated by the county Fire Marshal's Office, their continued attendance to family counseling sessions, and to write an essay apologizing for their actions, describing what they did and its implications. The boys have to pay $2,500 to the state Violent Crime Compensation Bureau, and can have no contact with each other for the length of their probation.
The community service period was notable in that the average length is usually about 20 hours. While it would be difficult for the teenagers to pay restitution to the victims, the fine was also significant, said Wells: "We're satisfied they're going to be punished and the public is protected.'
A Wildwood police officer saw the boys leaving the Boardwalk near Castle Dracula at Cedar Avenue when the fire broke out at 10:38 a.m. on Jan. 16. The attraction was closed at the time, but the boys had gotten inside and apparently lit torches made from old rags and aerosol cans so they could see their way in the darkened building. It was these torches that accidentally caused the fire. About 120 firefighters from five towns responded to the blaze, but it was fully involved when they arrived.
Superior Court Judge Kyran Connor gave the teens the maximum sentence that the court could impose, plus a suspended sentenced of 53 days' detention at a juvenile facility that is pending on the successful completion of their probation. In addition, the teenagers were sentenced to 90 days of community service, participation in the Fire Hawks program operated by the county Fire Marshal's Office, their continued attendance to family counseling sessions, and to write an essay apologizing for their actions, describing what they did and its implications. The boys have to pay $2,500 to the state Violent Crime Compensation Bureau, and can have no contact with each other for the length of their probation.
The community service period was notable in that the average length is usually about 20 hours. While it would be difficult for the teenagers to pay restitution to the victims, the fine was also significant, said Wells: "We're satisfied they're going to be punished and the public is protected.'
A Wildwood police officer saw the boys leaving the Boardwalk near Castle Dracula at Cedar Avenue when the fire broke out at 10:38 a.m. on Jan. 16. The attraction was closed at the time, but the boys had gotten inside and apparently lit torches made from old rags and aerosol cans so they could see their way in the darkened building. It was these torches that accidentally caused the fire. About 120 firefighters from five towns responded to the blaze, but it was fully involved when they arrived.
Dusti Lewars-Poole |
Hal Rappaport |
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Dusti Lewars-Poole is founding board member of the IAHA, and a veteran of 7 years acting coordinator for GrislyGothic Gables in Philidelphia, PA. Though she never had the privilege of working at Castle Dracula, a trip through the attraction at an early age thoroughly hooked her on theatrical haunts. She can be reached at via Email at [email protected].
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Hal Rappaport is the owner of FrightScape, a Princeton, NJ, web site devoted to all things scary at www.frightscape.com He can be contacted via Email at [email protected].
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www.CastleDraculaofWildwood.com is a Non-Profit Website. Any and all artwork is the sole property of its creators and Thanatos Productions LLC. Any usage or duplication without written and signed permission from TPLLC is strictly prohibited. For more information, please contact [email protected]