In Your Backyard January 2019 ~ Squire's Castle

Many a wide eyed child and several adults (myself included) watched the Disney movie “Frozen” and sang the songs. If you have such a child in your family, or a young at heart, then how about a road trip to a castle? 

Squire’s Castle is located on River Rd in Willoughby Hills, Ohio and is part of the North Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks. Although it has all the looks of a castle found in Europe and would be a fantastic place for your young ones to play Elsa or Anna, it was in fact built to be a caretakers/gate house for the larger mansion which was never built. 

Squire’s Castle is only a shell of a structure but wonderful to explore and a great location for photos. Built by Feargus B Squire in the late 1890’s as a summer estate and originally had three floors and a basement. Mr Squire was one of the founders of the Standard Oil Company as well as a trophy big game hunter. Many of the animal pelts and heads of his various hunts were placed in a trophy room inside the structure. 

Urban legend has it that the castle is haunted and one night during a violent thunderstorm, his wife (who never did want to live in the country) was startled by the mounts which were lit by the lightening and tripped and fell, breaking her neck. This so distressed her husband that he sold the property in 1922. Now, this legend has been completely debunked as Mrs Squire did not in fact die in the castle. She actually died in her residence in Wickcliffe, Ohio in 1929 from a stroke. However, the legend lives on and claims have been made that the screams of the woman can be heard at night or you can see her red lantern passing by the windows. 

So whether you are there for a wintery wonderland castle to fulfill the Frozen dreams or for the possibility of encountering a ghost that will indeed chill you to the bone you can do either. The North Chagrin Reservation is open from 6am-11pm daily. While you have made the trip there for the icy castle, make a note to return when the weather breaks for a trip to the North Chagrin Nature Center and Buttermilk Falls. Both of these locations are located within the Reservation as well along with trails and picnic pavilions. More information can be found at www.clevelandmetroparks.com with links to maps of all of the properties located in the “emerald necklace” of parks which surround the greater Cleveland area. 

As always remember that going off the beaten path can lead to great family adventures and wonderful memories. As you wander along, remember, you may not be lost. 

As Seen in Meadville Tribune