Great Castles of Ohio – Silver Medal Winner

September 12, 2020 PT

Previously, I awarded the bronze medal in the Great Castles of Ohio series to Squires Castle in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. Now, the excitement continues with yet another great Ohio castle. With COVID taking out our summer Olympic Games…I give you the next best thing. Its time to move up the podium. So, in honor of the postponed Olympic Games, I give you the Great Castles of Ohio – Silver Medal Winner the GLAMORGAN CASTLE in Alliance, Ohio.

Just another fun filled day in Alliance, OH

Yes, the Glamorgan Castle is a grand old fortification built in the style of the Wales castles. The castle was completed in 1904 at a cost of $400,000 by Colonel William Henry Morgan, owner of Morgan Engineering. But, Mr. Morgan was not a real colonel. The colonel title was an honorary thing bestowed upon him by the Governor of Ohio…probably after a nice campaign donation. Anyway, the castle remained with the family until 1938 when Mr. Morgan’s widow sold it for $25,000 to the Elks. The country was still suffering from the depression. So, the Elks got quite the steal and now had a killer Elks Lodge. Long story short…there were a couple more owners until ultimately the castle ended up with the Alliance City School system. From 1973 to present day, the Glamorgan Castle has served as the Administration Offices for this school system.

Unlike the Bronze Medal castle, the Glamorgan castle has quite the interior. As it is the administration office for the school, the castle has been modernized with all needed utilities. But, the caretakers did not ruin the place by going 100% administation decor. No, no, no…there are still plenty of rooms, fixtures, and furniture that preserve that age old “castlely” feel…

This table was one of the original 1904 furnishings

And, the best room of all…the Rathskellar, which is German for “beer cellar” (I think). The room has a good beer cellar feel, but sadly, they do not serve PBR…or anything for that matter. The Rathskellar is mostly just used for official meetings and gatherings of the administration.

The Rathskellar…I bet when this was the Elks Lodge…this was the place to be

Yes, the Glamorgan Castle is worth visiting. Sadly, due to COVID, all tours are now cancelled until further notice. So, its going to be awhile before you tour the interior. However, the grounds are well done and the exterior is open 24/7. Now, on a separate but related subject, let me give you a castle that you can visit anytime. To my knowledge, there are two great resorts in Ohio that have recreated the medieval experience. First, there is the Ravenwood Castle that was featured in an earlier post (see link below). Secondly, in Loudenville, Ohio, there is another resort with that medieval charm. I give you Landoll’s Mohican Castle…

The quick version of the Landoll story is that Jim Landoll, an American veteran, did a stint in European. While serving his country in Europe, he fell in love with the castles. After he retired from the Army, Mr. Landoll made his fortune in the publishing business. He eventually sold his publishing company for a serious chuck of change. Then, Mr. Landoll took his fortune and created his castle dream. My wife and I had a great experience at Landoll’s castle. We hiked most of the day in the nearby Mohican State Park. Then, we returned to the castle grounds to enjoy the evening festivities.

There you go…two castles in one post. See, I told you Ohio was rich in castles. And, the Gold Medal Winner is still to come. But, for this post, we recognize the Great Castles of Ohio – Silver Medal Winner…the Glamorgan Castle. PT

Thank you for reading “Great Castles of Ohio – Silver Medal Winner” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks

Do you want to stay at Landoll’s Mohican Castle? https://landollsmohicancastle.com

Do you want to stay at Ravenwood Castle? https://www.ravenwoodcastle.com

You may also enjoy reading https://travelingwithpt.com/great-castles-of-ohio-revisited/

You may also enjoy reading https://travelingwithpt.com/the-great-castles-of-ohio/