Gillette Castle State Park

Tyke and Teddie Niver,

East Haddam

consummate scholars and re-enactors, bring life to your visit to William Gillettes Castle. Gillette Castle State Park, a highlight of the Connecticut park and forest system, is a tribute to William Gillette, the dramatist who brought Sir Arthur Conan Doyles master detective, Sherlock Homes, to the stage and screen in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The re-creations of William Gillette and his wife, Helen, by Harold and Theodora Niver of Rocky Hill perpetuate the Gillettes memory, and enliven visits to the park and to many statewide events.

TYKE & TEDDIE AS WILL & HELEN a tale of actingand re-enacting

--by Robert Cumming Friends of Gillette Castle State Park East Haddam Historical Society visitors to Gillette Castle are those who find Will and Helen Gillette still in attendance. Eyes light up and smiles break forth when visitors spot the worlds most famous detective receiving his guests graciously, accompanied by his wife of just six years from 1882 to 1888. Their presence brings to life the entire experience of the Castle, and reminds all of the immortality of this versatile and artistic soul known as William Gillette. It touches our own sense of happily ever after even as it frees our own theatrical imagination. This majestically situated Castle has a unique story to tell; it is told best in Wills presence. After all, he willed it into being from alpha to omega, from overview to finest detail. In his manner, he was American royalty; he was a great communicator, guiding with the soft paw of Leo the Lion, and generous with those he loved. There seemed no end to his creative and inventive impulses, eccentric though they may still seem to some.
The most fortunate

Our metaphorical host and hostess, Will and Helen Gillette, have for some decades taken the physical forms of Harold Tyke and Theodora Teddie Niver. The Nivers knowledge of both Sherlock Holmes and William Gillette is as unexcelled as their re-creations, representing total dedication to the cause of perpetuating the stories of Doyle, Holmes, and Gillette. They answer to their karma most devotedly and effectively, and have been doing so for some thirty years. Complete with Inverness cape, deerstalker cap, calabash (or meerschaum) pipe, and magnifying glass, Tyke Niver as Gillette-Holmes answers all inquiries in character, as does his wife, Teddie-Helen; both respond to questions and greetings by mixing their previous personae with their present selves. In her 21st-Century incarnation, Teddie is a harpist and serves as organist and choirmaster at Wethersfields Church of the Incarnation. Not long ago she was inducted into the Disney Hall of Fame and received accolades for guest service. The Nivers share some curious coincidences, or signs along lifes path, with the Gillettes. Theodoras grandmother was born the same year that Helen died1888. Will

was born in 1853, and Harold was a sales representative with Steinway & Sons for many years; Steinway was founded in 1853. The Gillette Exhibit opened at Hartfords Nook Farm Visitors Center on October 16, 1970; Tyke was born on October 16 (a few years earlier). Gillette helped give Helen Hayes her start; Tyke and Teddie purchased an original oil painting that had hung on display at the Helen Hayes Theater in New York City. Tykes alias in the Single Action Shooting Society is Hawkshaw, which is the name of the ancestral home of the Porteus family on the River Tweed in Scotland. As a capstone to this conflagration of coincidentals, concert artist Hershey Felder, whose ingenious one-man shows on Gershwin and Chopin were rapturously received at Hartford Stage a

few years ago, enjoyed playing on Steinway pianos provided by none other than Tyke Niver. Gillettes favorite composers were Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue, in particular) and Chopin (Raindrop Prelude, in particular). Tyke has a liking for oystersas did Will. And on it goes. Once when the Nivers were playing host and hostess at the Castle, Tyke excused himself on the pretext of checking with the cook about dinner. He changed from the Inverness into a Victorian dressing gown and went to the 221B room. After standing quite still, with his back to the door (actually reading some of the correspondence on the mantel), he moved slightly and

 Excerpted from Gillette Gazette, Immersed in Victoriana Vol. VI, Issue 1, February 2007 both imaginative and real, Editor: John Stratton the Nivers enjoy eating, drinking and dressing in the style of Holmes day. Their English Tudor residence in Rocky Hill is designed around the accoutrements of the master detective. Known as Baskerville Hall, their home proudly displays an exhaustive collection of Holmesiana. The Nivers occasionally offer tours by special invitation.

heard a loud scream. One of the tourists, looking into the room, had thought him a mannequin and his mysterious and sudden movement scared her. The host had become a ghost on that visit. As a result, many tourists took his picture. I suddenly realized, said Tyke, during a visit over dinner with a few of the Friends of Gillette Castle, that this could become profitable pleasure! Had I charged a dollar per photo that day, I could have made enough to buy a new deerstalker cap.

The Friends of Gillette Castle State Park, headed by Janice Nowik, continue to pay tribute to this unique couple for their many years of colorful service in promotion of a mutual affection, Gillette, as well as Sir Arthur Conan Doyles sacred writings, and Sherlock Holmes in particular. The ever-engaging, everstartling presence of Will and Helen remains entertaining, appropriate, inspirational.

Designed for Friends of Gillette Castle State ParkPost Office Box 133, East Haddam, Connecticut by Deb Wells, Peppercorn Marketing, deb.peppercorn@gmail.com