I received E-Mail that said:
While researching the castle in Harvard I was led to your web site and the reference to the castles in Harvard. There is reference to two castles; one at 4504 Rt. 23 that is going to be a B&B, and a castle on Lincoln Road in Harvard. There are in fact two castles, one that is going to be a B&B, and the one on Lincoln road that looks very similar to the Hammond castle in Mass. I saw this castle today for the first time, and was told that it is being built by a person that was or is in the cosmetic business. The grounds are vast and beautiful with a lake surrounding most of the castle. It is still under construction.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
I am writing this e-mail to give you more information on the castle in Harvard, Illinois. I do not know the names of the people who own the castle, but I was at the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin yesterday and talked to them. They own the Elizabethan Tapestry Shop and she gave me a brochure on the castle. It is called Raven Stone Castle B&B and will open in summer 2004. It is located at 4504 Rt. 23 Harvard, IL.
You can choose from the Egyptian Room, King Arthur Room, Unicorn Room, Queen Elizabeth Room or the Scottish Room. It also has a tea room and gift shop. I spoke with her and she told me it was a life long dream of her and her husband to build and live in a castle. It has taken a long time, but they are finally ready to open. She has plans for the future to add more rooms including a place to hold banquets and a restaurant.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
I'm here to resolve the mystery of the Harvard castle. Actually it would be better if I said Harvard's castles. Here's the deal; the picture of the castle on your web page is in Harvard, but it is not the bed & breakfast one. I know this because the bed & breakfast one belongs to my parents, and we are still scheduled to have it open in summer 2004. For those of you who have been calling or emailing us (or future correspondents); though the B & B will be open in the summer, we will be building the second phase of the castle over the summer as well, for the purpose of hosting weddings.
The second phase will have a ball room, art gallery, music room, and a church steeple. However, I'm not sure when that'll be finished. Currently, I need to copy the blue prints my parents made and draw them up via the computer so we can get the approval from the county. The reason I'm not sure when the second phase will be done, is because we are not hiring professional contractors, 90% of the work is being done by my dad, myself, and my 3 brothers, but mainly my dad (we help on the weekends). We do not have a web site yet. When my final semester at NIU is done (this spring), I will begin working on it.
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