Curwood Castle

Curwood Castle is a small castle, now a museum, located in Owosso, Michigan, built by author James Oliver Curwood.

Curwood Castle
Curwood Castle
Location224 John St.
Owosso, Michigan
Coordinates42°59′34″N 84°10′31″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1922 (1922)
Architectural styleFrench manor
NRHP reference No.71000420[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 03, 1971
Designated MSHSApril 24, 1970

History

James Curwood was born in Owosso in 1878. He spent much of his early life out of doors, and at a young age left to tour the South on a bicycle. He eventually returned to Michigan, attended the University of Michigan for two years, and went to work as a reporter and later editor on at the Detroit Tribune. In 1907, Curwood returned to Owosso to focus on writing, and the next year published his first novel.[2]

In 1922, Curwood built this replica of a Norman chateau along the banks of the Shiawassee River near his home in Owosso. Construction on the building began in 1922 and was completed in 1923. Curwood moved in and used one of the turrets as a writing studio.[3]

Curwood later became a zealous conservationist, and was appointed to the Michigan Conservation Commission in 1926. He died a year later at age 48. In his will, the castle was given to the City of Owosso. It has served in various capacities over the years and is now a museum operated by the city, and is open to the public. Each year, the castle hosts the Curwood Festival. The event celebrates the life and works of James Oliver Curwood.[4]

Description

Curwood Castle is a romantic interpretation of a Norman chateau. It has an irregular plan with spires at three corners. It has a slate-covered gable roof with chimneys, linked at the base, extending from the rear gable facade. The exterior is made of yellow stucco containing decorative, randomly spaced fieldstones Curwood chose himself. The front facade has an entrance, framed with fieldstone, between two spires, covered with a projecting shed roof.[2]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Wiliam Lowrey; Jim Schutze (March 2, 1971), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM: Curwood Castle
  3. "Old Photos of Owosso, Michigan". ShiawasseHistory.com.
  4. "Curwood Castle Museum". Pure Michigan. Retrieved October 16, 2018.

Media related to Curwood Castle at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.