There are many people around the world that have a fascination of castles and the history behind them. Unfortunately, for many of us here in the states who wish to view one of these spectacular giants, we find that we must wither settle with viewing some pictures on the internet or in books, or perhaps even plan for a holiday overseas. Many are not so fortunate as to be able to walk out their front door and see the magnificent structures rising gloriously all around them, let alone live in one.
Over the years, castle builders have been on the rise. There are others that have found this calling and are working toward sprinkling Americas’ landscapes with a bit of European history, history that belongs to many of us through the generations of our families. Through hard work, perseverance, financial strategy and of course prosecutions from friends and family that have figured we are clinically insane, many have been able to bring their dreams into the world of reality.
Since childhood I had always been captivated by the strength and mysteriousness of the castles I had studied about in school, enough so, to begin researching on my own. For years I plowed through the various books I could find, anything that would be of use to me in planning a castle of my own. I never really had thought it would or could be built, but I had wanted a creation of my own – even if only on paper.
During my years of research dedicated to my project, I happened to run across a living history group, (the SCA) that allowed to me to further my search in learning of the “old ways” or the “lost arts”.
I also found that there were many others across the globe that shared a passion for history such as mine, with a willingness to learn to survive without necessity of the technological advancements of today – something I can (and do) pass onto my children.
It wasn’t until many years later that I had run across Ralph and Meg and the great people at Castle Duncan. Through their friendship and support (and a bit of serendipity) the castle project is coming closer to reality.
This project is truly an enormous undertaking, one that benefits from the knowledge and experience of previous or current builders, specialists in various fields, as well as, others with a bit of common sense. Many hundreds of thousands of hours of research have gone into the many castles being built around the United States, many with goal of being able to share their dreams with others.
Perhaps through our dreams, can we help others to make theirs come true.