Though at one time the Castle at Inspiration Point was open for public tours, it is now a private residence. Even so, many persons have requested information on the building, and we are happy to provide some details here.
Construction was begun in the late 1920s by Charles Mowers. Having worked in the oil industry, even inventing a special drill bit still in use today, we think he found the area during the very brief time there was talk of oil exploration near Eureka Springs. At any rate, he found Inspiration Point (called Rock Candy Mountain at that time) and decided to build a hunting lodge. It is called "the Castle" because Mr. Mowers styled it after German "castles" in the Rhine River Valley. These buildings were really just large houses, and we have no turrets.
The Castle is built entirely of stone, which is dolomite limestone, quarried 7 miles away in Beaver, Arkansas. It was hauled laboriously to the site and construction took between 2-3 years. Most of the area stonemasons in the area at that time were Irish. To entice them to work way out in the country, Mowers paid them 25% more than they could earn in town -- a whopping 25 cents an hour instead of 20 cents! The resulting building is unique, with cut stones in every shape imaginable. The floors are stone 6-8 inches thick, and the walls are actually a double layer of stone with a small air space between the layers, resulting in a final width of 22" in the main wing, and 18" in a second wing.
The uniquely cut and laid stone is emphasized by the use of rope mortar. The mortar in each room is painted a different color, done by the second owner in 1932. The second wing, holding a great room and a bedroom, also used "rubble construction" on its exterior walls, presenting an interesting contrast of techniques within a single room. That occurs because there are 4 fireplaces, and those interior walls were built first, using the original shaped-stone method. The exterior walls were added afterwards, and though the main wing walls all match, we think the rubble walls of the second wing were created after the stock market crash of 1929. Mr. Mower's accounts were frozen, he lost a great deal of money, and perhaps had to complete his lodge with the rock at hand. The largest stone in the house is a 9-foot long, 22" thick lintel over a door. It is estimated to weigh approximately 2 tons. The smallest rock found in the rubble-style walls is a mere 2" square!
Check back later for more information.
Construction was begun in the late 1920s by Charles Mowers. Having worked in the oil industry, even inventing a special drill bit still in use today, we think he found the area during the very brief time there was talk of oil exploration near Eureka Springs. At any rate, he found Inspiration Point (called Rock Candy Mountain at that time) and decided to build a hunting lodge. It is called "the Castle" because Mr. Mowers styled it after German "castles" in the Rhine River Valley. These buildings were really just large houses, and we have no turrets.
The Castle is built entirely of stone, which is dolomite limestone, quarried 7 miles away in Beaver, Arkansas. It was hauled laboriously to the site and construction took between 2-3 years. Most of the area stonemasons in the area at that time were Irish. To entice them to work way out in the country, Mowers paid them 25% more than they could earn in town -- a whopping 25 cents an hour instead of 20 cents! The resulting building is unique, with cut stones in every shape imaginable. The floors are stone 6-8 inches thick, and the walls are actually a double layer of stone with a small air space between the layers, resulting in a final width of 22" in the main wing, and 18" in a second wing.
The uniquely cut and laid stone is emphasized by the use of rope mortar. The mortar in each room is painted a different color, done by the second owner in 1932. The second wing, holding a great room and a bedroom, also used "rubble construction" on its exterior walls, presenting an interesting contrast of techniques within a single room. That occurs because there are 4 fireplaces, and those interior walls were built first, using the original shaped-stone method. The exterior walls were added afterwards, and though the main wing walls all match, we think the rubble walls of the second wing were created after the stock market crash of 1929. Mr. Mower's accounts were frozen, he lost a great deal of money, and perhaps had to complete his lodge with the rock at hand. The largest stone in the house is a 9-foot long, 22" thick lintel over a door. It is estimated to weigh approximately 2 tons. The smallest rock found in the rubble-style walls is a mere 2" square!
Check back later for more information.