Years ago in an effort to reach out to family, I took my daughter to Arizona to see my cousins Josh and Jerica as well as some aunts and uncles. In our stay there we drove up to Phoenix to see Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jim. They took us around town, but the best stop was a place called Mystery Castle.
The story goes like this:
"The reality of dying was thrust upon Boyce Gully in his prime. Choosing not to live a life of quiet desperation awaiting the end, he ran away from home, family and friends.
Those were sad but wondrous times of soul searching and physical creativity. In his heart was permanently etched the vision of those precious moments when he and his little girl, Mary Lou, built sand castles on the beach in Seattle. How she would cry when the tide washed them away. “Please, Daddy, build me a big and strong castle someday that I can live in. Maybe you ought to build it on the desert where there is no water.”
He would just smile. Perhaps, it wasn’t a coincidence that he migrated to Arizona. He built Mary Lou a native stone castle - eighteen rooms, thirteen fireplaces, parapets and many charming nooks and crannies, then furnished it with southwestern antiques.
Boyce Gully died in 1945 before he could send for his family. His “princess” was an adult when she moved into her “castle” and began living her fairy tale, perpetuating her dream. She shared her “home” by giving guided tours of her beloved Mystery Castle until her death in 2010.
Today, the castle remains open for tours from October through June. The Mystery Castle Foundation, a 501c3 organization maintains the property so that future generations can share in the history and magic that is My Mystery Castle."
The place is magical from top to bottom with such amazing views from the castle itself. It was a long tour but so worth the love you could see put into every nook and cranny as a father thought about his daughter. Here are some photos from the inside and out:
If you ever make it to Phoenix you should look this place up. A great time for the whole family.
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