Mystery Castle

I was heading down 7th Street toward South Mountain Park. As I reached the southernmost point on the road I saw a sign which read Mystery Castle. A short distance away I saw an odd-looking structure and decided that I had to check it out. Admission was only $5.00. How could I turn it down?

The castle was built in stages from 1930-1945 by a man with tuberculosis who abandoned his wife and daughter in the state of Washington for fear of infecting them. They had no idea where he was until after his death, about 15 years later. He built this peculiar house with materials which he found nearby, rocks, discarded railroad tracks, discarded bricks, old bottles, all kinds of things.

It wasn’t until after his death that his wife and daughter came to live in the mystery castle. His daughter, now in her 80’s still lives there. For more history, check out this web site: http://phoenix.about.com/od/attractionsandevents/ss/mysterycastle.htm

The woman who lives there seems very nice. She has lived there since her teenage years, and has never married. She seems to love her castle, since it was a gift from the father whom she hardly knew. It is certainly a very strange and interesting place.