Chateau Fairmount is a private home. Most of what happens here happens for the people who live here and their guests. One night a year is different: on Halloween the lawn, the candelabras and the front steps are open to the whole neighborhood, free, no tickets.
Thousands of trick-or-treaters come up Fairmount Street on the night of 31 October, as part of Belvidere’s own trick-or-treat and in line with the City of Lowell’s guidance. The castle is lit, the torches are out, and everyone is welcome. It is free; it is not ticketed; no reservation is needed. Donations are welcome and go toward the event.
The house has always run on shared meals and shared evenings — the Battles Home kept a common table for forty-seven years, and the household that lives here now does too. None of these are open to the public and none are run for profit; they are how a large house is lived in.
Dinners in the dining room for residents and friends — holidays, send-offs for people moving on, and the ordinary kind where somebody cooks for everyone. The household’s outings to New England landmarks, museums and events grew out of the same table.
The house keeps a library of more than two hundred board games, and game nights for residents and their guests are the most regular thing on the calendar. The list is public even if the table is not.
The weeks before Halloween are their own event: the candelabra stands go up, the fog and lighting are tested, and friends and neighbors who want to help are welcome. See the volunteer note on the Halloween page.
We are often asked whether the castle can be hired for weddings, family reunions, birthdays and anniversaries. As a private home, it cannot; we do not host events of that kind, and there is nothing to book.
We are looking at whether small member-only social clubs — a board-game night, a paint night, neighborhood networking — could meet here on a regular basis. There are legal questions to settle first, so nothing is scheduled. If you would like to hear when there is news, send a line.
Questions about any of this: contact. Please do not come up the drive uninvited; the house is lived in.