The History of Our Lake George Resort
Sun Castle was a nickname for the Erlowest, a Queen Anne-style mansion built by Mr. Edward More Shepard in 1898. This estate was part of “Millionaires’ Row” in the Adirondack Park on Lake George.
Mr. Shepard, a prominent attorney and politician from Brooklyn, was also an author, humanitarian, and vestryman. The mansion’s name “Erlowest” was inspired by the hometown of Mr. Shepards’ parents, Westerlo.
When Mr. Shepard passed on July 20, 1911, he left the Erlowest to his sister, Agnes Hewitt. Upon her death, Agnes’ daughter, Lucy Hewitt, inherited the Erlowest alongside her husband, Russell C. Leffingwell, a corporate lawyer and international banker who went on to become the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Board Chairman of J.P. Morgan & Company.
The Leffingwells lived at Erlowest until the 1960s, when Mr. Charles “Charlie” Wood bought the property. Mr. Wood, a local entrepreneur, founded such business ventures as Storytown and Ghosttown (now known as Six Flags Great Escape), as well as Double H Hole in the Woods Camp for critically ill children, alongside actor Paul Newman.
Mr. Wood built the charming and cozy villas located on Sun Castle Resort for his friends and family to reside in when they came to visit.
Mr. Wood sold the property to its current owners in 1999. The owners continued to develop the property and built the townhouses in the early 2000s. Today, guests are able to enjoy time lakeside with their families at Sun Castle Resort, just like many families have done before them and will continue to do for many years to come.
