like a Who’s Who of the rich and famous. Aside from his inherited wealth, his inventions brought Hammond an additional fortune. Between the years 1926 and 1929, he built a castle (including a drawbridge) which became his home, laboratory, and a showplace for his collection of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance artifacts. Hammond was also interested in the mechanism and workings of the pipe organ, and had a huge organ installed in the castle's Great Hall. Famous organists, including Richard Ellsasser and Virgil Fox, performed and made commercial recordings on this instrument, unfortunately no longer in operating condition (2015). Overlooking Gloucester Harbor in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, Hammond Castle is now a museum which offers self-guided tours throughout half the year and hosts fundraising events on a regular basis. Hammond was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal from The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1959. Personal life Hammond married Gloucester resident, artist, and devout spiritualist Irene Fenton in 1925. In addition to his marriage, Hammond was part of a homosexual/pansexual circle surrounding A. Piatt Andrew, actor Leslie Buswell, and interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper, referring to the B.A.S.H. acronym often referenced in Gloucester culture (B.A.S.H. standing for Buswell, Andrew, Sleeper, and Hammond). In popular culture His castle was investigated by TAPS in 2012 for paranormal activity and this was shown on the TV show Ghost Hunters. Hammond Castle was also featured on the PBS Reality Show FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman in Season One. Inventions Examples of Hammond's 400+ U.S. patents: 10/21/1919 – System of Teledynamic Control (1,275,741) 5/20/1922 – System for Radio Control of Moving Bodies (1,420,258) 11/6/1928 – Submarine sound transmission (1,500,243) 3/18/1929 – Multi-channel radio system (1,717,662) 12/29/1931 – Secret Radio Communication (1,838,762) 5/19/1931 – Paravane Torpedo (1,806,346) 12/14/1936 – Gaseous Detector of Radiant Energy (1,610,371) 5/27/1941 – Variable Pitch Propeller Control (2,243,095) 7/11/1944 – Radio Alarm System (2,343,499) See also Nikola Tesla - friend of Hammond Natalie Hays Hammond (1904–1985), artist and inventor of a form of appliqué, was the sister of John Hays Hammond, Jr. Richard Pindle Hammond (1896-1980), composer of orchestral and chamber music, was the brother of John Hays Hammond, Jr. References Further reading Dandola, John Living in the Past, Looking to the Future: The Biography of John Hays Hammond, Jr., Quincannon Pub Group, 2004. Dandola, John Living in the Past, Looking to the Future: The Biography of John Hays Hammond, Jr., Addendum,