Mystery Castle, Arizona

Mystery Castle, Phoenix
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mystery_Castle_Phoenix_Arizona.jpg
Author: Walt Lockley


Mystery Castle is a flamboyant structure on the foothills of South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona. It was built in the 1930's by Boyce Luther Gulley from Seattle, Washington. Learning that he had contracted tuberculosis, Gulley abruptly abandoned his wife and toddler daughter and moved to Phoenix. There he began building his house using discarded and cheap building material.

After Gulley died in 1945, his lawyer informed his wife and daughter that they have inherited the house. Soon the mother and daughter Mary Lou relocated to live in it. The news soon spread about this unusual house, and soon, Mary Lou and her mother began giving house tours to support themselves.

The three-story Mystery Castle has eighteen rooms. The material used in its construction range from telephone poles and salvaged railway tracks to car parts, all held together by cement, mortar, and even goat milk. Originally isolated from Phoenix, urban development eventually surrounded the property.

Mary Lou Gulley passed away on 3 November, 2010. Ownership of the house is most likely to pass into the government of the State of Arizona.

Visiting Mystery Castle, Arizona

Mystery Castle is open from October to May on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. For details, contact (602) 268 1581.

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