Stokes Castle in Austin, Nevada.
As a summer home for his sons, Anson Phelps Stokes, a mine developer, railroad magnate, and member of a prominent eastern family, began building the Stokes Castle in Austin, Nevada, in 1896. It was completed in the summer of 1897.
The castle, patterned after a family painting of Italy, was used by the Stokes family for only a short period. When they traveled west in June 1897 with some of their friends, they spent a month at the castle. In October, they spent a few more days and returned in the summer of 1898. However, this time, they sold out the mine, milling equipment, and the castle and never returned again.
The castle is three stories high and 50 square feet around. It was built of hand-hewn native granite, and a hand-operated windlass raised the huge slabs of granite into place. The first floor contained the kitchen and dining room, the second floor was the living room, and the third floor contained two bedrooms. On the first floor, each room had a fireplace, and on the upper floors, there were wooden balconies.
Over the next half-century, the castle fell into neglect and was owned by several individuals. In the early 1950s, a promoter tried to buy the structure with the intention of moving it to the Las Vegas strip. However, Molly Magee Knudsen, a cousin to Anson Stokes, purchased it in 1956. Having grown up hearing the stories about her cousin’s castle in Nevada, she could not resist.
Molly, a New York socialite, soon became a ranch owner and prominent citizen of Austin. To help preserve the building from further theft and vandalism, a chain-link fence was placed around it.
Today, the Stokes Castle stands as a sentinel on the north end of Reese River Valley, a reminder of the heydays of Austin’s history.
Stokes Castle has a well-maintained road leading to it and can be viewed year-round. Located on Highway 50 on the west side of Austin, this historic building is well worth a look-see.
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© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated May 2024.
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