|
|
 |
|
| | |
| | Pythian Castle | | | Sunday, August 3, 2008 (3:14 PM)
(I'm feeling melancholy) | | Pythian Castle (in Springfield, Missouri) was originally built in 1913 by the Knights of Pythias and later owned by the U.S. Military. It is now open to the public and the owners offer swing and ballroom dance lessons, dances, murder mystery nights and other activities.
The Knights of Pythias originally called the building the Pythian Home for Children, where it served as a shelter for orphans and older members of the order. Since residence was consistently low, in 1942 it was sold to the US Military to be used during World War II. It was later incorporated into the O'reilly General Hospital system, and redefined as the Enlisted Men's Service Club, a recreational facility. In recent times it has become a private residence.
To add to the castle's many identities, it is also considered by some to be one of the more haunted places in the Ozarks.
On November 16, 2007, the City of Springfield declared the castle a "dangerous building," and ordered it closed. According to recent articles in the Springfield News-Leader, Tamara Finocchiaro, the castle's owner, failed to apply for, and obtain, a business license and a certificate of occupancy. A spokesperson for the City of Springfield stated that Ms. Finocchiaro had been given ample time to correct health and safety issues identified by the City, but she ignored these issues and continued to operate the castle in spite of having agreed to complete the required fixes. | | | 14 Views | 2  Thumbs Up | 1 Comment |  |
|
|
| | Race Rock Lighthouse | | | Sunday, March 30, 2008 (5:01 PM)
(I'm feeling impressed) | |
Race Rock Light is a lighthouse on Race Rock Reef, southwest of Fishers Island, New York. The reef is a dangerous set of rocks off the coast of Fishers Island on Long Island Sound and was the site of many shipwrecks.
Race Rock Light was built between 1871 and 1878. Designed by Francis Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915), the lighthouse is an excellent example of 19th century engineering and design. The massive masonry foundations on the reef required seven years to complete. Once the foundations were secure, the stone structure, including the keeper's quarters and the tower, were built in only nine months. The lighthouse has a fourth-order Fresnel lens in a tower standing 67 feet (20 m) above the waterline. The United States Coast Guard automated Race Rock Light in 1979.
Race Rock Light is believed by some to be haunted and was investigated by the investigators of TAPS on episode 104 of the SciFi channel program Ghost Hunters.
Race Rock Lighthouse, in Long Island Sound, 8 miles (13 km) from New London, Conn., was built under great difficulties. The builder was Captain Scott. His engineer was F. Hopkinson Smith, who later became famous as a writer of lighthouse stories. Race Rock Lighthouse is off Fisher’s Island Sound, at the mouth of the Race, where the waters of the Sound rush both ways, according to the tide, with great velocity and force, and where, in heavy weather, the waves run high. By 1837 eight vessels had been lost in 8 years on Race Point reef. In 1838 Congress appropriated $3,000 for erecting a lighthouse at Race Rock but the money was never expended. In 1852 the Lighthouse Board reported: "Various efforts have been made, and numerous appropriations expended, in endeavoring to place an efficient and permanent mark on this point. Buoys cannot be kept on it, and spindles have hitherto only remained until the breaking up of the ice in the spring." In 1853 $7,000 was appropriated "for a beacon on Race Rock." This took the form of a daybeacon completed in 1856.
In 1854 Congress appropriated $8,000 for a lighthouse but only $1,600 of this was spent, mostly in surveys. In 1869 $90,000 was appropriated "for a lighthouse at or near Race Point, Fisher’s Island, Long Island Sound." After preliminary surveys costing $652,857, an additional appropriation of $10,000 was made in 1870, after the Board had estimated that $200,000 would be required to build the lighthouse. In 1871 $150,000 more was provided by Congress.
Construction of the riprap foundation began in April 1871. In all 10,000 tons of granite were used in the foundation. "The proposals for the construction of the foundation and pier of this structure were so excessive in rates" the Board reported in 1872, "and so much above the amount of the appropriation on hand ($95,539.66 had been expended out of $261,000 appropriated to June 10, 1872) that no more than the landing and the enrockment of the foundation, and two courses of the pier, could be contracted for."
In 1873 Congress appropriated a further $75,000 and the lighthouse was completed at an additional expenditure of $175,048.09 between 1873 and 1878. The total cost of the lighthouse was $278,716.33.
The ledge on which the lighthouse is built is under water and three-fourths mile from Race Point Reef. It has one large and several smaller spurs of rock rising above the general surface. The least depth at mean low water on the principal spur or Race Rock proper, is 3 feet (1 m). The greatest depth at mean low water, within the circle of 69 feet (21 m), is 13 feet (4 m).
The ledge was, with the help of divers, made approximately level with small broken stone and riprap. Upon this was placed a circular-stepped mass of concrete, 9 feet (3 m) thick, built in 4 concentric layers. The lower layer is 69 feet (21 m) in diameter and 3 feet (1 m) thick. To form the layers of concrete, cylindrical bands of half inch iron, of the height and diameter required for the respective layers, were used. The upper surface of the concrete, 8 inches above mean low water, carries a conical pier, 30 feet (9 m) high, 57 feet (17 m) in diameter at the base, and crowned by a projecting coping 55 feet (17 m) in diameter. The pier is made of heavy masonry backed with concrete, in which cisterns and cellars are located.
The pier is surmounted by a granite dwelling one story and a half high. From the center of its front the granite light tower ascends. A landing-pier, 53 feet (16 m) long and 25 feet (8 m) wide, built of heavy masonry, gives access to the lighthouse. The whole structure is surrounded and protected by riprap. T he tower, which is square at the base and octagonal at the top, carries a fourth-order alternating flash white and red electric light of 90,000 candlepower, being 67 feet (20 m) above sea level and 45 feet (14 m) above land, and visible 14 nautical miles (26 km) at sea. | | | | 65 Views | 2 Thumbs Up | 1 Comment | |
|
|
| | Orava Castle | | | Thursday, March 27, 2008 (9:59 PM)
(I'm feeling impressed) | |
Orava Castle (Slovak: Oravský hrad, German: Arwaburg, Hungarian: Árva vára ) is the name of a castle situated on a high rock (520 meters/1,760 feet), which was constructed in the 13th century, considered to be one of the most interesting castles in Slovakia. Many scenes of the 1922 film Nosferatu were filmed here, although until recently it was thought to have been shot in Romania
The natural formation "castle cliff" - a limy spur 112 meters (367 feet) high, modeled by the Orava River and its right tributary brook Racova - has been inhabited since the primeval ages. The wooden rampart became during its history a strong walled castle of which the first written documents dates back to 1267. At that time only the ground floor was built of stone, the stories were made of wood.
In 1370 the castle became the center of the Orava County. A tetrahedral multi-story towerntury was built here in the 14th century, probably on older foundations, as a donjon - the place of "last shelter" by defensive the castle. After 1474, King Matthew gave order to build a square and a residence-wing at the Middle Castle. The buildings were situated in front of the castle. In 1534 John of Dubovec obtained the castle and became county head. He started to rebuild the castle and to make new fortifications. He ordered to build a half-round tower at the Upper Castle that in 1539 was followed by two large round fortifications to inside stories for cannons at the Middle Castle. Also the Middle platform was made for cannon firing. In the years 1539 - 1543 John of Dubovec built a five-story palace on the free place between the tower and the stone wall of the Upper Castle. The Turkish peril was the reason for building new fortifications. The new gate with a ditch and drawbridge in the Lower Castle was completed in 1543. The Tower of the Archives was built against the castle walls.
After the death of John of Dubovec, the heirs quarreled over the heritage and the situation was so bad that the castle even became a store-house. It was paid by the mine owner František Thurzo. A lot of building activities took place at the castle afterwards. The wooden stairs at the Upper Castle were replaced by stone stairs. The same was done to the stairs between the Middle and the Upper Castle with the drawbridge. Also, a cellar was dug in the rocks of the castle court and a one-story residence-wing was built at the Lower Castle near the west wall.
Juraj Thurzo also carried out some important repairs. One of the first was the building of a tunnel between both castle gates, above which was formed a large terrace. After this was all done he moved the living-wing and the building of the Chapel started partly using some old architecture. The inside furnishing of the Chapel was later on arranged in the spirit of the new owners of the Castle. One of the best-known remembrances is Renaissance grave tomb of Juraj Thurzo from the beginning of 17th century and the Baroque altar from 1751 - 1752
After the death of Erzsébet Czobor, the widow of Juraj Thurzo, the castle became property of Thurzo's daughters, who entrusted its administration to an elected administrator. Because of changes in politics, society and economy the castle gradually lost its functions. Only some clerks stayed and the uninhabited and disused parts of the castle gradually declined. The greatest catastrophe affected the castle in 1800, when a gigantic fire destroyed all wooden parts of the castle. The objects from the Lower Castle could be saved after the fire because they had been under cover by shingles. However, the objects from the Middle and Upper Castle were not saved until 1861.
To find a use for the historical object, Edmund Zichy, the administrator of the property (Kompossesorat) organized a foundation, which had the aim to erect a regional museum of Orava. The first exposition took place at the Thurzo Palace in 1868. Nowadays, the Orava Museum is one of the oldest in Slovakia. Its most attractive expositions are those of the Castle Chapel, the Knights' Room, and several rooms with style furnishing. Further highlights include the Painting Gallery, the Weapon room, and the scientific, ethnographic and archaeological collections | | | | 63 Views | 2 Thumbs Up | 1 Comment | |
|
|
| | Leap Castle | | | Thursday, March 27, 2008 (10:08 PM)
(I'm feeling impressed) | |
Leap Castle is an Irish castle in County Offaly, about 4 miles north of the town of Roscrea on the R421. It was built in 1250 by the O'Bannon family and was originally called "Leim ui Bhanain," or "Leap of the O'Bannons." The O'Bannons were the "secondary chieftains" of the territory, and were subject to the ruling O'Carroll clan.
The Annals of the Four Masters record that the Earl of Kildare, Gerald Fitzgerald, tried unsuccessfully to seize the castle in 1513. Three years later, he attacked the castle again and managed to partially demolish it. But, by 1557 the O'Carrolls regained possession.
Following the death of Mulrooney O'Carroll in 1532, family struggles plagued the O'Carroll clan. A fierce rivalry for the leadership erupted within the family. The bitter fight for power turned brother against brother. One of the brothers was a priest. The O'Carroll priest was holding mass for a group of his family (in what is now called the "Bloody Chapel"). While chanting the holy rites, his rival brother burst into the chapel plunging his sword into his brother. Fatally wounding him, the butchered priest fell across the altar and died in front of his family.[1]
In 1659, the castle passed by marriage into the ownership of the Darby family, notable members of which included Vice-Admiral George Darby, Admiral Sir Henry D'Esterre Darby and John Nelson Darby. The central keep was later expanded with significant extensions. However in order to pay for these extensions rents were raised and much of the land accompanying the castle was sold. This is one theorized motivation for the burning of the castle during the Irish Civil War in 1922.
Many people were imprisoned and executed in the castle, and it is supposedly haunted by several specters, the most terrifying of these being is a small hunched creature whose apparition is said to be accompanied by a rotting stench and the smell of sulfur. Some call this an Elemental.
Not far from there, workers discovered an oubliette, which is a dungeon where people are locked away and forgotten about. There are spikes at the bottom of this shaft, and when workers were cleaning it out, it took them three cartloads to carry out all the human bones at the bottom. A somewhat chilling report indicates that these workmen also found a pocket-watch dated to the 1840s amongst the bones. There are no indications of whether or not the oubliette was still in use in that period. These series of spikes are now covered with a vast amount of twigs, grass, and dirt, as to protect anyone entering it. | | | | 55 Views | 2 Thumbs Up | 1 Comment | |
|
|
| | |
| |
|
|
|
