Many of you know that my sister – and then parents – relocated to Atlanta several years ago. There is a rumor floating around that I was NONE TOO PLEASED about this decision. Regardless, we paid our first of several visits to the city in the summer of 2007.
On our first trip to Atlanta, we saw many interesting things. The Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, and the Carter Center for starters. But slightly off the beaten path, just north of the city in the suburb of Alpharetta, we found something which topped them all – at least in terms of its uniqueness.
BEHOLD, my friends! THE MYSTERIOUS CASTLE OF ALPHARETTA
Believe it or not, this is no theme park sideshow. This building stands as one of the most unusual living spaces ever. I myself have seen the owners, a gentle-looking older couple, out lovingly tending the grounds. The property lies (trust me on this) WAY OUT IN THE OPEN, at the corner of Arnold Mill and Cagle Roads, in either Roswell or Alpharetta (now the city of Milton). [As the dividing line is (for an outsider at least) too close to call, I am of course giving it to my parents who live in (you guessed it) Alpharetta (_now Milton_). BUT ENOUGH ABOUT GEORGIA POLITICS.]
The house has a certain aura of MYSTERY about it. Likely b/c it is the ONLY THING EVEN SEMI-INTERESTING and/or REMOTELY DISNEY-ESQUE for miles. and MILES. And of course, as any good mystery junkie, I HAD to get to the bottom of it.
Coming home from dinner one night, my father related the facts as he knew them. The owner, a former truck driver, built the castle years ago. Although it looks uninhabited from the road, with windows made of reflective yellow glass, most of the living quarters – ACCORDING TO MY FATHER’S SOURCE – are actually (hold your breath) subterranean. WOW. As if the exterior wasn’t captivating enough, RUMOR HAS IT the house is actually a front for some sort of neolithic man cave dug deep inside the earth. Could it GET ANY BETTER??!!
Well, YES.
Although our paltry photos do their best to describe the actual home, they leave out some VERY juicy details. Such as The Moat. Yes, You heard me. The perimeter of the castle is surrounded by a (I do not know how deep) moat, dug into the ground and made into part of a swimming pool. It appears the moat widens at the rear of the house and becomes more conventionally pool-like. As you can see from the photo below, there is a small adjacent pool castle building, complete w. diving board. You cannot actually see said diving board in the photo, but it is there in reality, sticking out. I am not lying.
Having done some research, I have read conflicting reports of the actual square footage of The Castle. Ranging from 1,400 to 6,600. QUITE A BIT OF DIFFERENCE, wouldn’t you say>? Me too. And as the above ground portion of building is truly tiny, I can only hold w/ the man cave theory. And speaking of a dream house, can you imagine anything better than thwarting pesky Avon Ladies and Jehovah’s Witnesses with your very own DRAWBRIDGE???! (No offense intended of course to those selling cosmetics and/or God). But it seems as though the lucky owners made – as if part of their plan – not one but TWO drawbridges. I have read (second hand) that these lower into garage door openings. But again, I cannot attest to the factuality of this statement.
The entire perimeter of the property itself is (as you can see) girded by a wrought-iron fence, topped at points by sweet (British?) garden gnomes.
In writing this post, I mean no disrespect to the owners, Rudy and Ruth McLaughlin. To the contrary, I too believe every man’s house is his castle. They just took the phrase slightly more literally than the rest of us. And in doing so, provided us all with a little interest, a little mystery, a little something DIFFERENT. I thank them for doing so. Certainly, my parents – who live just minutes away from the castle, must have a smile on their faces each time they drive by. And the countless denizens of the adjacent affluent housing developments, when they’ve had ONE TOO MANY at the [insert club] dinner, never have to wonder IS THISHH ONE MIINE? when they pull up in the drive.
Looking for MORE information w/out making the actual trip? See:
Roadside Georgia’s entry on THE CASTLE
Milton’s ASK YOUR NEIGHBOR
Way Marking’s entry on THE CASTLE
Will Roswell or Milton get Ted’s Spread?
And perhaps, the most encompassing entry yet on The Castle.
Wow, I am not sure if I am more impressed with the moat-pool or the gnomes guarding the gate!
stone mountain is about 30 miles form the castle! i used to live in alpharetta
“Man Cave” was a term invented by the HGTV network. Find out the real deal at http://www.themantuary.com
Be A Man.
- The Founding Father
Hey Beth! YES, the photos truly do not do the place justice. And just think – now you have a *destination* if you ever make it to Atlanta. YAY!
TFF, as a woman, I’m neither interested in nor impressed by your man cave exploits. Though I suspect you’re attracting quite a male following w/ your website. Good luck.
Sounds like an episode of Extreme Homes on HGTV…maybe you should call them and recommend it
It is the only HGTV show my Dear Husband will watch with me!!!
Wow, this is waaayyyyy cool! I LOVE castles. I mean, I really love em. Guess it’s time to go visit my Georgia friend…
Random much, TFF?
How can she be a man when she is a WOMAN? I think you should suck it. Just saying.
Heyya ladies! Connie, I agree – this house is SO worthy of a TV show. Tracie, Pack your bags PRONTO. and Hayden, I love you.
Isn’t Stone Mountain near there? That would make the underground quarters completely plausible.
fun! i could totally live there…troll that i am.
but i’m still holding out for my addams family scary mansion.
glad you’re back, goofy. we missed you.
Hey Mssc54 – I believe some of the rock used in constructing the Castle was quarried from Stone Mountain. Not sure how close it is though. My parents took the girls there summer 2007, but not sure of the distance.
Curl, pls post pic of this dream house, STAT.
Cool, interesting and fun at the same time!
This is my first visit to you, and what a visit it is!! I have visited Atlanta though never heard of this castle, and am now envious and curious at the same time!!!!
I had the nifty idea of getting an satellite image of the Castle in Google Earth, but the first place I came across while looking for an address already had a link to the location in Google Maps. If you have Google Earth you can plug in the coordinates (34.088546,-84.361449) and manipulate the view with more flexibility.
p.s. Weeeeeird!
Hiya Vanessa! I think I’ve seen you over at Hayden’s place. WELCOME! Glad you enjoyed your stay. Feel free to visit anytime.
Panny babe – I downloaded Google Earth just to do this and WOWZA! Toooo cooooool. Many thanks!
I will say that in the eighties, I used to drive by the castle as it was in construction stage. There was a sweet man in blue Dickies that was always working around the place.
Without disclosing my sources, I can advise that there is indeed subterranean space here. Not an ounce of wood and everything is granite, marble and very French with crystal, tapestries, things from Europe inside.
There is substantial space that has never been opened up. In fact, this was preplanned to accomodate family members in the event of a natural disaster.
Your research is good, but there is far more to this story than ever will be reported.
I can say that there may be a drinkable water aspect to the moat.
Please leave these people in peace.
Sorry to disappoint, but there’s no cave. What you see is what you get. Moat does open to a pool and garage doors are drawbridges. He told his wife he’d build her a castle… and he did!
My daughter had her fairytale wedding at “The Castle” May 9, 2009. As the musicians played The Wedding March from atop the pool house, the draw bridge was lowered to reveal the bride, who was escorted by her father over the driveway and down a path to the the ceremony site in the back of the property. The reception was immediately afterward where everyone danced around the moat on the marble driveway.
We thank Aunt Ruth and Uncle Rudolph for the best gift possible and once in a lifetime wedding that will never be forgotten!
P.S. Rudolph still wears his blue coveralls…
Dear “Relative”…
Would you mind just confirming if the most popular “story” about its origins are true? The kids I teach tell me that it was built by an older man for his wife because when they were married he told her that one day he’d be able to treat her like a queen and build her a castle. (I absolutely LOVE that story!) It is fascinating to me and it’s on my bucket list to some day be invited in to see the inside. Thanks for sharing the information about your daughter’s wedding. Must’ve been GORGEOUS!
okay well i cant agree with your man cave theory. my aunt got a tour of the place when it was being built and said it looked like any old house inside.
Haha funny that they get mad but they build a house on a corner lot (instead of the middle of a huge lot maybe surrounded by trees). They have NO landscaping to help prevent onlookers. It seems to me they enjoy the attention. Especially since a separate pull over area has been added for people to stop. If you don’t like the attention build a wall fit for a castle. And by the way is this a castle or the top from my bounce house?
Omg, I live about 5 minutes from the castle! Btw, I think its official name is “Cagle Castle” (named for its location). It’s definitely a major landmark around here (the Alpharetta/Milton area, not greater metro Atlanta) since we really don’t have much else more exciting than normal houses, cow/horse pastures, small shopping centers, and schools (the local high school, Milton High, actually is a major landmark, a ridiculously big and expensive building modeled after Monticello)
I can’t say for sure, but I think the castle’s appearance is actually a little brighter (and I don’t just mean the lighting, since these pics were obviously taken on a gloomy day)… maybe they’ve pressure-washed it or something since then, or maybe added some colors around the windows, and, of course, there’s a lot more greenery now.
I actually don’t think I’ve gone down Cagle Road to see the other side, I’ve just seen it from Arnold Mill, but the moat and pool building are still somewhat visible, and the whole property is *veerryy* impressive
And while it is very much out in the open visually, it’s in a quiet area, and I don’t think people go there just to see it; in fact, I doubt that very many people who don’t pass it regularly on their way to wherever even know about it.
By chance, I met Mr. McLaughlin as a little girl. He was so sweet. I remember he told me all about the house, it’s a memory I really cherish. I’ve always wanted to stop by and see the family again but I doubt they would remember me now, haha!
Yes, we saw this while we were visiting and had the same reaction! I have to forward this along to my husband as he’ll love to read all of these comments. Would love to tour the building…wonder if they have tours?
Zillow shows the total sq. ft. as: 1,962
Now that was an adventure. who would think an actual castle exist in America. What I like about the two sweet old couple who followed their hearts dream is that they showed the world that you don’t need to be a royalty to live in a castle. they also showed us to follow your imagination and what makes you happy and not what the society dictates you to do or feel. I put down my imaginary hat for their bravery. Just a cool , awesome post. Good job with the research too!
My husband and I are planning a road trip south which happens to pass through – Atlanta! Will check it out in person. How fun!
It wasn’t built as a man cave. The guys proposed to his wife and she said only if you treat me like a queen so he built her a castle.
…As far as it being right there on a corner in full sight…remember when the house was built MANY years ago…there was nothing but the Silo’s near there. It was out in the country!
Awesome article! I have seen it once and it made me smile.
I teach Behind-the-Wheel driving lessons in this area and drive by the castle at least twice a week. It is absolutely fascinating! I would love to see the interior, but would never dream of asking them. It’s a landmark and the area kids have told me that many different stories exist about its origins, however the most popular one is where the man told his wife that one day he’d treat her like a queen and build her a castle. Lovely story that goes along with a lovely home!