The word ‘castle’ may conjure up visions of medieval
villages in places like Scotland or Romania, but believe it or not, America has
its own incredible ruins of vast stone estates. They’re just not nearly as old.
From an abandoned cement plant turned amusement park to luxurious private
estates that are now claimed as state parks, here are 7 of the nation’s
greatest castle-like abandonments and monuments.
Cementland: Abandoned Factory Turned Amusement Park,
Missouri
A crumbling abandoned cement factory in St. Louis had
become a dumping site for construction waste when local sculptor Bob Cassilly
first saw it. Among all of the trash, debris and rusted metal, Cassilly
envisioned the beginnings of a reclamation project that would not only clean up
the site, but transform it into something positively regal. So he got a
bulldozer and began the process of cleaning it up himself. All of the junk that
was formerly piled around the property became the turrets, gates and bridges of
a modern-day industrial castle. People began to notice, wondering what it might
turn into. While Cassilly had every intention of turning the site into an
amusement park, it wasn’t to be. Cassilly tragically died in an accident with
his bulldozer onsite, and the park remains unfinished, becoming somewhat of a
memorial to the man who saw so much promise in what other people considered an
eyesore.
Ha Ha Tonka Castle, Kansas City
Also in Missouri, on a bluff overlooking Ha Ha Tonka State
Park, this ‘castle’ is really just the ruins of a wealthy man’s failed dream.
Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder bought 5,000 acres of land in 1905 and
began construction on a lavish mansion complete with water fountains and grand
arches hand-wrought by stone masons flown in from Europe. Snyder died just a
year later, in one of the state’s first automobile accidents, but his sons kept
the construction going, and one lived there for decades until the family’s
money ran out. The property became a hotel and lodge. In 1942, the whole
building was destroyed by a fire. When the state purchased the property to make
it part of the park, they preserved the stone ruins as a unique historical
monument.
Bannerman Castle, New York
Looking at photos of this striking castle facade, you might
imagine that it’s located somewhere in Europe. Surprisingly enough, it’s
actually within minutes of Manhattan. Bannerman Castle was built on an island
in the Hudson River that had previously been used as a military prison by
General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Businessman Frank
Bannerman purchased it in 1900 and spent 17 years building his Scottish-style
dream castle, which he used to house his enormous collection of surplus
military equipment. The castle features docks, turrets, garden walls and moats,
but for all its ornamentation, it was little more than a warehouse for decades.
After Bannerman’s death, the estate was sold to New York State, the military
goods given to the Smithsonian. However, a raging fire of indeterminate cause
destroyed most of the buildings and the belongings that were left inside in
1969. All that’s left are these skeletal remains, which are now preserved by a
historic foundation.
Bedford Limestone Pyramid, Indiana
Anyone who came upon this bizarre stone
structure in the middle of the woods in rural Indiana might think they had
stumbled upon ancient ruins. A series of partially-built pyramids can be found
all over the property, as well as the remains of a large stone wall. But the
origin of these structures are a little more mundane than the deteriorating
history of a forgotten civilization. The pile of stones is all that’s left of a
$7 million effort to build a limestone ‘amusement park’ that aimed to call
attention to the ‘Limestone Capital of America.’ The town of Bedford wanted to
compete with larger, more well-known cities for tourists and imagined that
building a 1/5 scale replica of Egypt’s Great Pyramid, as well as their own
miniature Wall of China, would do the trick. Bedford is, indeed, where much of
the nation’s limestone is sourced, including that used to build the Empire
State Building. But many locals felt that the project was wasteful, and soon,
the funds to build it – in the middle of an open-pit mine in the neighboring
town of Needmore – were depleted. The site has been abandoned for about three
decades.
Coronado Heights Castle, Kansas
Did Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado really
discover the mythical ‘Seven Cities of Gold’ in Kansas in the 1540s? Coronado
went on an expedition across the flatlands with hundreds of Spanish soldiers
and native American guides, keen on confirming the report of a Franciscan
priest that the Native American community of Quivira was really and truly made
of gold. It’s unknown whether he really scaled the heights of Lindsborg,
Kansas, or whether his claims that what he saw there was truly Quivara – though
he admitted it was no more than a collection of native huts, and hardly made of
gold. But that spot has been named after him, and in the 1930s, a little stone
castle was built to commemorate his supposed journey. The castle now contains
picnic benches for the tourists who climb the hill.
Ozark Medieval Fortress
This building site in Lead Hill, Arkansas looks like the
foundation of a 13th century stone castle. That’s exactly what it is – but it’s
being built right now. An amateur archaeologist named Michel Guylot began the
backbreaking work of constructing a castle entirely by hand using the
techniques and tools of 13th century European castle builders in 2010, and it’s
not expected to be completed until 2030. Located on donated land, the project
acted as an active demonstration of these techniques for visitors who want to
come and watch it in progress. Eventually, the castle was to have 70-foot
towers, a six-foot-thick outer wall and a drawbridge. However, it stalled due
to financial issues, and officially closed in 2012. Guylot is currently seeking
financial backing to get it up and going again.
Gilette Castle, Connecticut
In 1914, actor William Gillette (most
famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on stage) built his dream estate on
top of the southernmost of a chain of hills known as the Seven Sisters in
Connecticut. The magnificent castle easily rivaled those of Europe, overlooking
the Connecticut River from its perch on the ‘Seventh Sister.’ But when Gillette
died without any heirs to inherit the property, his will simply directed that
the castle not go to any “blithering sap-head who has no conception of where he
is or with what surrounded.” The state took over the property in 1943, deeming
the entire state Gillette Castle State Park. The castle – which has a
fascinating system of hidden mirrors for surveilling the public rooms from the
master bedroom – is sadly not what it once was, but still a popular destination
after an $11m restoration, drawing some 300,000 tourists per year.
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