I heard a rumor that someone is starting to build a castle in or near Winchester. Does anyone have any information about it? Any info would be appreciated.
I received E-Mail that said:
I live in Winchester, VA. Just outside of Winchester on Rt. 55, toward Wardensville, WV, I have seen on top of the mountain, what appears to be a huge castle someone is building. I have lived in this area all of my life, and other than the Berkeley Castle in Berkeley Springs, WV, this is the only one I've seen. It is high up on a mountain, not easily visible from the road. It appears to be constructed of stone. The last I saw it in the winter, it appeared to have 2 large round towers at either end. If you are interested in taking a ride out there, it is probably about a 60 mile trip from Berkeley Springs.
On 10-15-09, I received e-mail that said:
The castle you are referring to is not being built, but has been built for awhile. This castle is and to all knowledge empty. Every owner has died from mysterious happenings. The last owner just lost brakes and drove off a cliff. The castle is to have been in winchester for over 100 years or more it has never been completed on the account of all the owners keep dying.
On 11-14-11, I received e-mail that said:
I cant say this email will help, but regarding the Unknown Castle located somewhere in Winchester VA. I was visiting a friend many years ago and he drove me by there. It was some distance from the road we were on and they were still in the construction process, but it does exist. Sadly I can't provide any additional information as I am no longer in contact with him and have not been for many years. But I can state that it was being built and should be completed by this time.
On 4-18-12, I received e-mail that said:
I have looked in passing when I travel out toward Route 55,(Wardensville Pike) but never saw anything. That is, until we were taking a Sunday ride into Star Tannery,VA (the Northern end) and I found this castle quite by accident.
Let me tell you how I found it.
Take Route55 west toward Wardensville. Turn left on Route 604 Go slowly or you may miss your turnoff. Make a right at State Route 603 (Brill Road). Keep heading west toward gravel springs cemetery. Right before you arrive at the Gravel Springs Church, look straight up to the top of the mountain. You'll see a white wind turbine spinning in the breeze. This is what caught my eye. To the right is the castle. It's grayish brown and has two turrets at either end. It's quite sizeable. I don't know if it's inhabited, but I'll try to find the way up there. It's directly on top of the mountain. I don't know if this is the mysterious "Winchester" castle, but it does seem to fit the description.
On 7-22-12, I received e-mail that said:
My wife and I have driven out off of brill road in star tannery VA. We have seen the castle from the road but are unable to find a way up there. We have done numerous of hours of research and have found nothing. We have managed to find that the castle is over 100 years and has had numerous owners. The castle has never managed to be completed due to the fact that every owner dies from mysterious happenings. Any more info that had been found would be greatly appreciated. We are very interested in the history of this landmark.
{{Castlefinder note!}}
During March of 2003, Princess Patricia and I drove out to see if we could find it. We were not able to see it.
We drove from the east end of 55 over the big hill and almost to Wardensville. It may be there, but we did not see it.
On 10-12-12, I received e-mail that said:
I've done a bit more research on the castle. I found that if you stay on Route 55 just about a half mile past the Star Tannery entrances and Wardensville Grade, Route 55 makes a turn off to the left. At this point, it looks as if the castle is almost on a stretch of land crossing the roadway. Much to my surprise as we drove on, it turned out that the castle is sitting right on the top of a mountain ridge. AND it is on the right side of Route 55 as you can see the wind turbine on that side of the road as the road turns.
Here is how you get to it. (There are private property signs on the road, and there are several houses up there.) The castle is at the end of the road so far that you almost meet yourself coming back! As soon as you've spotted the castle, start to slow down. Make a right turn onto "Trail's End Drive." You'll see a number of mailboxes on the left and a "private road" sign close by. Follow Trail's End Drive until you come to "Short Mountain Way." It makes a sharp turn to the right and seems almost to be going back down the mountain, but it isn't. Keep following it until you get to Pathsend Ct. The castle is the last house on the road. It has a circular driveway that seems to lead straight through the carport, so you can turn around in front of the wind turbine. Hopefully they won't arrest you for trespassing. I'm just so curious I feel like I have to go and have a peek. I usually don't trespass.
Hopefully this clears it up a bit. If you wait until all the leaves are off the trees, it will probably give you a better look. If I have the wrong building, my apologies, but it sure looks like it to me.
{{Castlefinder note!}}
Since there is a private property sign there, I do not recommend that anyone go there. However, if someone
already has a photo of this place, I sure would like to see it.
On 11-6-12, I received e-mail that said:
Using the directions from the 10-12-12 post, I used a website to try and locate the "Unknown Castle" in Winchester, VA. I believe the attached photo is the "castle" in question. Unfortunately, this is about the best image I could find. Still, it appears to be a rather impressive structure. (See photo above.)
On 2-9-17, I received e-mail that said:
Hi. My daughter sent me a link to one of your castle pages because I was curious about a house that sits on top of a ridge near my home.
First, it's not in Winchester. though Winchester is only half an hour or so away. It's in Star Tannery, VA -- a very small town that was named after a tannery that is no longer here.
Second, the information that one of your contributors provided does lead to the place. It's off of Trail's End Drive, though that street is a private road. I have a friend who lives on this street so, after visiting his place today, I drove up to see what I could see of the place and took some photos.
I wouldn't have called it a castle, but it's majestic enough to warrant a lot of respect and admiration. And it has a lovely view of the valley below. In fact, the "castle" can be seen from either side of the ridge that it sits on.
{{Castlefinder note!}}
Now that I've seen a good photo of the place, I agree with those that say it's not a real castle.
I'll leave it on the webpage for a while, it's a great looking house.
Back to "Castles of the United States"
Thanks to Sandra for the second photo.