Berkeley Springs Castle in West VA, built in 1885 by Col. Samuel Taylor Suit, is a half-scale replica of the Berkeley Castle near Bath, England.
Castles are common in Europe, but did you know that there is a real castle sitting on a mountainside in West Virginia? There is. Berkeley Castle, built in 1885 by Col. Samuel Taylor Suit is a half-scale replica of the Berkeley Castle near Bath, England.
Colonel Suit, who fought in the Civil War, was appointed ambassador to England by President Grant. There, he became enthralled by Berkeley Castle near Bath. When he returned home, he settled on his Suiteland estate in Maryland, as a wealthy business man.
Colonel Suite met and fell in love with a young woman named Rosa Pelham, the daughter of a congressman. After two try's of winning her hand, Colonel Suit finally persuaded Rosa to marry him when he pledged to build her a castle as a summer cottage. She was 22 when they married, he 51.
Colonel Suite chose Berkeley Springs as the location for his castle because he hoped the area would take off and become a really popular resort. After all, George Washington had brought his family to Berkeley Springs, as had many other Washingtonians. And back in the later part of the 1800's, Berkeley Springs, which is a tiny town, boasted three hotels with no less than 500 rooms apiece, and of course, it had the mineral springs, which were a major draw, and still are to this day.
The castle, built of silica sandstone hand-cut and hauled up the mountain by horse and wagon, took three years to complete, and cost $100,000 to build. However, Colonel Suite didn't live long enough to see it completed. But in his will, he stipulated that his young wife had to complete the task to inherit his fortune.
Of course, Rosa did see it completed, and soon began hosting elaborate parties in the castle, inviting friends from all around the country. Her lavish life-style soon had her broke. She began selling off her belongings until there was nothing left. When she finally moved out of the castle, she was 40,000 dollars in debt, eventually moving on to live with one of her sons in the West.
Today, Berkeley Castle, perched on a ridge overlooking the tiny town, is listed in the National register of Historic Places.
It is one of the major attractions of this enchanting are of West Virginia, where miles of beautiful mountains, ridges, valleys and rivers, attract many visitors.
