1890s CASTLE PRESERVED IN TIME - Squire’s Castle -Willoughby Hills, OH

Today I deceived to visit a major landmark in the Cleveland area called Squires Castle.

Squire's Castle, located in the North Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks, was originally a gatehouse for an unrealized, grand English country estate planned by Standard Oil executive Feargus B. Squire in the late 1890s.
History of Squire's Castle
Construction and Intent: In the 1890s, Feargus B. Squire purchased 525 acres in the Chagrin Valley and planned to build a large manor house and a smaller gatehouse in the style of English or German baronial halls. Construction on the gatehouse, made from locally quarried Euclid bluestone, was completed around 1897. It was a fully functional building with a library, bedrooms, a kitchen, and a trophy room.
Abandonment of Plans: The main residence was never built. The primary reasons were that Squire's wife, Louisa, disliked the country setting and found the gatehouse too rustic, and Squire faced difficulties obtaining building materials and labor. After 1908, Squire rarely visited the property, having built his primary mansion, Cobblestone Garth, in nearby Wickliffe, Ohio.
Transfer to Metroparks: Squire sold the property to a private land developer in 1922. The developer went bankrupt, and the Cleveland Park Board (now Cleveland Metroparks) acquired the land in 1925, using it as the foundation for the North Chagrin Reservation. Locals then began calling the abandoned gatehouse "Squire's Castle".
Current State: Due to extensive vandalism over the years, the Cleveland Metroparks removed the upper floors and filled in the basement to ensure public safety, leaving only the stone shell that exists today. The structure was somewhat restored in 1995 and is now a popular spot for picnics, hiking, and photography.
Dispelling the Ghost Story
A popular urban legend claims that Squire's wife, Rebecca (Louisa), died in the castle after falling down the stairs, frightened by animal trophies during a stormy night. This myth is false; Louisa Squire died of pneumonia in her home in Wickliffe in 1927, years after the property was sold.

#castle #cleveland #architecture #stone #standardoil #history #urbex #metropark

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