Stokes Castle Lander County   39.49354, -117.07965

"I've always thought the castle was more akin to a tower. Anson's strange architectural aesthetics were certainly one of a kind." -- Journal Entry, October 2009

At Stokes Castle, 1 mile southwest of Austin
* At the south end of town turn south onto Castle Road, then 1 mile to Stokes Castle *

Original Date Visited: 10/22/09

Signed: No

Notes: Both [59] and the road leading to it is unsigned, so mainly locals and returning visitors are the ones who know where this turnoff is. In order to conquer this marker, make the turn onto "Castle Road" (sometimes unmarked) at the south end of Austin adjacent to the Chevron gas station. "Castle Road" is an excellent dirt road that leads up and alongside a ridge. Follow this road for a mile and you'll see the castle complete with a picnic table and a nice view of the Reese River Valley.

Exact Description:
Started in the fall of 1896 and completed in June, 1897, by Anson Phelps Stokes, mine developer, railroad magnate and member of a prominent eastern family, as a summer home for his sons, principally J.G. Phelps. After the castle (or the tower, as the Stokes family always referred to it) was completed, it was used by the family for one brief period in June and July, 1897. Since then, with one possible exception, the structure has remained unoccupied.

Stokes Castle is made of native granite, hewn and put in place by the ancestors of people still living in Austin. The huge stones were raised with a hand winch and held in position by rock wedging and clay mortar. The architectural model for the castle was a medieval tower Anson Stokes had seen and admired on an Italian campagna, near Rome. It originally had three floors, each with a fireplace, plate glass view windows, balconies on the second and third floors, and a battlemented terrace on the roof. It had plumbing very adequate for the times and was sumptuously furnished.

The structure stands as an abiding monument to the local men who built it and to those who helped develop the mines of Austin.

Stokes Castle and the lonely views of Central Nevada.

Next Marker:

HAWTHORNE ...

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