- Squire's Castle
Squire's Castle is located in the North Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks in
Willoughby Hills, Ohio (visible from River Road). It was built in the 1890s byFeargus B. Squire for use as the gatekeeper's house for his future country estate, which was never built. Squire, a founder ofStandard Oil Company , bought the surrounding 525 acres (2.1 km²) of land but never completed the project. Squire sold the property in 1922 and theCleveland Metroparks acquired it in 1925.Today Squire's Castle is open to the public free-of-admission. In 2008 the structure still had a roof, the interior was bare and open to the elements, and second story no longer had a floor. The Willoughby Hills Public Library annually holds a history seminar there. The surrounding park offers a footpath, riding trails, cooking grills, and a large grassy field.
The second edition of "The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History" describes Squire's Castle as "a picturesque castellated and turreted ruin"; it goes on to note that "seriously vandalized and deteriorated, ... [r] enovations in 1995 included painting the ground floor of the castle with a waxed coating to deter vandalism" (p. 953).
Squire's Castle has now acquired a sense of mystery. It is purportedly haunted by Squire's wife, Rebecca. An
urban legend says she tripped and broke her neck there, but in reality, she died inWickliffe, Ohio , in 1929, after the property was sold. The castle has also been featured in the localsketch comedy showBig Chuck and Lil' John as the "Castle of Doom".References
* Van Tassel, David. D. and John J. Grabowski, eds. "The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History" 2nd. ed. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press in association with Case Western Reserve University and the Western Reserve Historical Society, 1996.
External links
* [http://wtravlr1.smugmug.com/gallery/1651014/1/80727157 Pictures of Squires Castle]
* [http://www.sunnews.com/news/suburbs/east/squirecastle.htm Article on Squire's Castle from sunnews.com]
* [http://html.newsnet5.com/ghosts/squirecastle.html Local ABC news affiliate's page about the haunting]
* [http://www.prairieghosts.com/oh-squir.html Prairie Ghosts page on the Squire's Castle haunting]
* [http://www.deadohio.com/SquiresCastle.htm Dead Ohio's page on Squire's Castle, including quite a few pictures]
* [http://www.clemetparks.com/pdf/Parkways%20to%20Past.pdf PDF brochure from the Cleveland Metroparks including info on Squire's Castle]
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