Located in a small town off the "Loneliest Road in America," few Nevadans are aware of the existence of the historic Stokes Castle.
Stokes Castle is located just outside of Austin, NV in Lander County. The three-story stone tower was built by Anson Phelps Stokes.
Stokes was a wealthy railroad magnate, banker, philanthropist and a mines developer.
His inspiration for the castle was a tower in Roman Campagna in Italy. He built the castle for his son with the idea to make it the family summer retreat.
The Stokes family did not live in the castle more than a month, and a few other days over the next two years from the time it was built. Stokes sold his mine and all his equipment and the family moved further west and never returned to the castle again.
The castle was eventually purchased by Molly Magee Knudsen, a cousin of the Stokes family, in 1956.
She had the castle brought back to its original condition after years of disrepair and neglect.
The castle is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It continues to be privately owned
The castle had a fireplace on each floor and a rooftop terrace. Though the tower seems bare and empty now, it is said that when it was first built the inside was richly decorated like any royal castle. The castle is built with hand-hewn, native granite.
The castle is known for being eerily and sadly beautiful at night. It’s a favorite for photographers for sunrise and sunset shoots.
The castle is located just off Route 50, which is known as the “Loneliest Road in America.”
What do you think it would be like to live in the Stokes Castle? Are there other hidden castles in Nevada you've visited? Share in the comments!
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