Two New Hampshire teenagers have been arrested on felony charges connected to the fire that gutted Kimball Castle, the century-old granite landmark overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford. Joshua Pittman, 18, of Dover, and Peyton Eastman, 19, of Portsmouth, were taken into custody in early September 2026, more than a year after investigators began digging into what caused the blaze that left the historic structure beyond repair.
According to NBC Boston, Eastman was charged with felony arson and misdemeanor criminal trespass, while Pittman faces felony conspiracy to commit arson along with a misdemeanor trespass charge. Pittman was arrested on September 1, 2026, in Dover, and Eastman was arrested the following day in Portsmouth. Both were released on personal recognizance and are scheduled to be arraigned October 8 in Laconia District Court. It was not immediately clear whether the pair had attorneys, per the same NBC Boston report. The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office said the two arrests were made in the case, the outlet reported.
A Two-Alarm Blaze Before Dawn
The fire broke out just before 3:45 a.m. on August 27, 2025, when Gilford firefighters responded to a two-alarm blaze at 59 Lockes Hill Road, according to FireRescue1. The vacant, unpowered castle went up in flames, and drifting embers sparked a two-acre brush fire in the surrounding dry woods. Police said the fire was deemed suspicious.
The destruction inside was total. Gilford Fire Chief Stephen Carrier recommended the remaining structure be fully demolished after the blaze caused the interior floors, ceiling, and roof to collapse, according to Granite Post News. Only the stone exterior walls survived, and even those were left unstable and unsalvageable. Authorities said Kimball Castle would have to be torn down after the fire, per NBC Boston's reporting.
Months of Search Warrants and Public Tips
Getting to an arrest took more than a year. Fire investigators interviewed four suspects starting in October 2025, working through search warrants and public tips before announcing that charges were expected against two adults and two juveniles, the Laconia Daily Sun reported. The case involved coordination between local police and the state Fire Marshal's Office, per the same account.
The stakes in the case are unusually high because of the building's protected status. Kimball Castle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and under New Hampshire's RSA 634:1, knowingly setting fire to a listed historic structure is classified as a Class A felony, carrying a maximum penalty of 7½ to 15 years in prison, according to Justia Law.
A Gilded Age Landmark on Borrowed Time
Kimball Castle was built between 1894 and 1899 for $50,000 by railroad magnate Benjamin Ames Kimball, who hired roughly 100 Italian stonemasons to replicate Rhine River castles using granite, the Laconia Daily Sun reported. The estate featured four gargoyle roof drains and an amber-glass skylight, and it served as Kimball's summer retreat on a hill overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee.
The castle's decline began decades before the fire. When Kimball's last family heir, Charlotte Kimball, died in 1960, she left the property to the Mary Mitchell Humane Society. But the trust funds went missing, and the property was left abandoned, according to the outlet's earlier reporting. A nature preserve was planned, but it was never created as described.
Decades of Neglect and Trespassing
The building's structural problems were clear after the fire. The blaze left the remaining structure unsafe and slated for demolition.
Private investors later tried to save the property. Patrick and Melissa Starkey purchased it in 2018. At the time, no-trespassing signs were posted, but trespassing remained a problem — a pattern of unauthorized access that persisted for years before the 2025 fire finally reduced the landmark to its stone shell.
