Day Eleven- Mentor, OH

17 miles- About 1890 Feargus Squire, the vice-president and general manager of Standard Oil, purchased 525 acres of forested land in the Willoughby Hills along the Chigrin River to build an estate. To start, plans were drawn up for a Gatekeeper’s House in the Romanesque Revival style.

Construction was begun using Euclid bluestone, a kind of blueish sandstone that is harder, stronger, and less friable than Berea sandstone. With white plaster interior walls, rich wood trim, and leaded glass windows, it was said to be a rustic showpiece. Rustic, because it had no water, gas, electricity, or plumbing. It apparently had a great library and collection of stuffed animal head trophies, though.

Although Feargus and his daughter, Irma, would spend weekends there, his wife, Louisa, rarely came along. She reportedly hate country life. What use the structure saw was between about 1901 and 1908, after which it is believed Squire never visited it again. His plans for a manor house and the rest of the estate never materialized and he eventually sold the property in 1922. It was acquired by the precursor to Metro Parks in 1925 and left basically abandon.

Vandalism over the next 70 years took its toll and by the mid 1990’s there was serious discussion of tearing it down. Fortunately the park officials decided to stabilize it and integrate into a trail system to save it. They filled in the basement, tore out the flooring for the second and third floors, stabilized the stone work, removed what was left of the windows, and made it safe to be around.

It is now an empty shell, but a rather magnificent one, standing alone at the top of a vast open field surrounded by forest. It is an imposing setting. It is also a mysterious setting. As the legend goes, on some nights curious lights are seen from various windows. Some claimed to have seen a ghostly woman moving past those window.

Louisa, Squire’s wife, is said to have died in the castle. Unable to sleep during a tremendous storm, she lit a lamp and was moving toward the stairs when a bolt of lightning hit nearby. The boom of thunder and the flash of light illuminated some of the trophy head which further startled her and she missed a step and fell down the stairs breaking her neck. Now they say her ghost roams the empty shell of the castle.

And you shouldn’t let the fact that Louisa hardly ever went there, keep you from believing this story. Nor the fact that she died of pneumonia in 1929 at Wickliffe, OH, a full seven years after Feargus sold the property. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

As for me, my day started at 6:30 after breakfast when I set off for Mentor. The high overcast kept it comfortable as I headed along the road by the North Chagrin Reservation. I spotted the sign for the castle and of course had to stop. I had it all to myself on this slightly mist morning. After exploring the castle and reading the few plaque I knew what today’s historic “thing” was going to be about. After I left, there were quite a few miles of busy roads to traverse, but I finally made it in to Mentor and my motel. Tomorrow I hike several miles north northeast to Lake Erie then head south to my last motel on this trip. The last couple days, as I continue south back to my starting point in Mantua, will be camping at night.

Until tomorrow, Happy Trails!