Squire castle

Raise your hand to all residents who grew up in Cleveland and have never visited the squire castle! Not too much? That's what we thought. After all, the squire's castle is not only one of the most beautiful places in Cleveland; For generations, it has also been a destination for countless hikers, nature lovers, birdwatchers, geographical treasures, school groups and history lovers.

So the first thing is: the squire's castle is not the squire's castle. It used to be the residence of a janitor in a residential area, but the main building of this residential area has never been built. This building that really looks like a small castle was built by Feargus B. Squier (1850- 1932) in the 1990s. He is the vice president and general manager of Standard Oil Company. This is the first part of the grand plan for the 525-acre residential area where the squire and his wife Rebecca live.

Apart from the fact that the castle is the actual residence of the squire, there is also a misunderstanding that this place is haunted. In the city (or "country"), it is said that the squire Rebecca tripped at home and broke her neck, so she survived as the only supernatural resident in the building. Not true: 1929, she died of a stroke in wycliffe, Ohio, five years after selling the castle property.

It's true here. The wealthy and reclusive Feargus squire came to Cleveland from Exeter, England on 1860. Later, he and his wife lived in new york and Baltimore, and then returned to Cleveland. The squire joined the Ohio Standard Oil Company on 1885, and served as the manager together with john D Rockefeller's brother Frank Rockefeller. The squire built the first tanker. The family lived on Prospect Avenue and later on Euclid Avenue Millionaire Street on East 78th Street.

The squire was attracted by the beautiful scenery of Chagrin Valley and bought 525 acres of land there at 1890. His plan is to build two buildings in the style of English or German barons. The existing building (described as "a picturesque castle and tower ruins" by the Cleveland Historical Encyclopedia) was built as a concierge and janitor's residence. The castle is built of siltstone (also known as Euclid bluestone) and mined in Euclid Creek Reserve of Cleveland Metropolitan Park.

The squire planned to name his territory "River Farm Manor", and he actively began to improve it with new trees, roads, bridges and ponds, including the sunset pond we now know, which is nearly two miles from the castle. However, the main house was never built, mainly because the squire Rebecca hated the idea of country life. Therefore, the squire built a huge cobblestone manor in Wycliffe, Ohio, where he later served as mayor. 1922, the squire sold the property in Chachagrin Valley to a private developer. 1925 was acquired by the board of directors of Metropolitan Park. In fact, it became the cornerstone of the northern annoyance reserve of Cleveland Metropolitan Park. At that time, the locals began to call this abandoned gatehouse "the castle of the squire".

Before and after the evil action, the squire often used his castle as a weekend resort, although his daughter Irma was more likely to accompany him than his wife. This place is very spacious, with several bedrooms, living room, a big kitchen and a breakfast porch. The squire's library (the westernmost room of the castle) is full of books, souvenirs, paintings and trophy cases, as well as stuffed animals, skins and horns (souvenirs of his countless hunting expeditions). All the rooms in the castle have white stucco walls and elegant woodwork. The lead glass window can see the property outside.

Today, the castle is basically an amazing and well-maintained shell. There are * * * and open elements. In order to cope with the destruction and safety needs of vandals, all doors, floors, fixtures, window glass and woodwork of the castle were removed. So is the basement.