Mystery Castle800 E. Mineral Road, Phoenix, AZ
Mystery Castle is nestled way back in the foothills of Sonoma Mountain, passed the hundreds of strip malls, “questionable” section of town and a rocky road fit for 4-wheel drive. At first glance I was hit with a strong sense of WTF? Ooh , I feel bad even insinuating that swear word. Dirty girl. I was greeted by a young tour guide who took my 5 bucks for the admission. Taking an inventory, I was the youngest and only solo individual in the crowd of eight. Considering it was a weekday, I was surprised by the amount of folks wanting to unfold this mystery.
This pseudo castle was built in the 30s by Boyce Luther Gulley who built it for his daughter who was distraught over her beach sand castles getting washed away by the waves. Gulley wanted to create something with a bit more permanence. He used reclaimed automobile parts,adobe and clinker bricks. The home features 18 rooms, 13 fireplaces and took 15 years to complete. Unfortunately, both Gulley and his daughter have passed, but the legends still live on.
more photos here…
Offbeat Attractions is a series that features unique points of interest around the world that are worthy of adding to your Bucket List.
