Stokes Castle, Three-story stone tower in Austin, Nevada.
Stokes Castle is a three-story stone tower in Austin, Nevada, constructed from granite with individual fireplaces on each floor and balconies extending from the upper levels. The residence combines Renaissance Revival and Mediterranean Revival architectural elements and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Anson Phelps Stokes began building the tower in 1896 and completed it in 1897 as a summer home, modeled on a tower he had admired in the Roman Campagna in Italy. The family traveled west in June 1897 with friends and spent about a month there, returned for a few days in October 1897 and again in summer 1898. They then sold their mine, milling equipment and the castle and never returned. Molly Magee Knudsen, a cousin of Stokes, bought it in 1956, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Stokes named the tower after himself, and locals call it simply "the Castle." After the family sold up in 1898 it stood empty for decades, and Molly Magee Knudsen, a cousin of Stokes, bought it in 1956. Since 2018 the Austin Historical Society has operated the tower, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Stokes Castle stands on a hillside just off U.S. Route 50 near Austin, Nevada, and is reached by a short walk from the roadside; the tower itself is not open for entry. Visitors view the granite exterior and the battlemented terrace from outside. The Austin Historical Society now operates the structure, and the surrounding ground is uneven, so sturdy shoes help.
The family's stays were brief: about a month in June 1897, a few days that October, and a summer return in 1898. After selling the mine, the milling equipment and the castle, they never came back to Austin.
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