It was the desire of Harry Andrews to construct the Chateau Laroche , a replica of a medieval castle situated along the bank of the Little Miami River. With bricks, lots of stone, and cement blocks made from milk carton molds. In this article, you will learn more about the Loveland Castle and what makes it a haunted home.
The final tally for building the castle was $12,000 for the cost of materials: 2,600 sacks of cement, 32,000-quart milk cartons for concrete bricks, and 56,000 pailfulls of stone.
Aside from building the castle, Andrews laid down a road from the castle. He leveled off the land surrounding the castle so he could plant an orchard and garden. A drainage system was put in and a moat dug around the property. He also fashioned a dungeon that was so well constructed that people considered the castle the safest bomb shelter in all of Ohio. The architecture displayed English and French Normandy medieval features.
Andrews drew from an enthusiasm for medieval cultural aspects, as well as time he spent in Europe during and after World War I. Andrews had served as a medic on the front lines. When he saved the life of an Earl’s son, he was knighted. During the war, Harry came down with meningitis and everyone thought he was dead. In that time, his girlfriend married another man and six months later, Harry made a complete recovery. Afterwards, he poured all of his energy into castles and the European culture.
When the war ended, Harry traveled about Europe and absorbed the castles in England and France. Finally, he returned home to Ohio and settled in Loveland. At first, he worked at the local newspaper and became involved in his church’s Boy Scout troop. In 1927, Andrews started on his plans to create a castle. He bought some land in Loveland , a place that his troop would go camping and fishing.
Two years had passed and since his troop’s tents were in poor condition, Andrews built two stone tents. These stone structures would later become the future foundations of two of the towers. At first, his project started out in 1929 and was just a hobby. He wanted to create something that his Boy Scout troop would enjoy. He wanted to create a meeting place for what he called “The Knights of the Golden Trail”.
For 25 years, Andrews worked on his castle and other related projects at the same time. He retired from his job in 1955 and started to turn his attention to working on the castle full time. The Boy Scout had been using the castle for all this time. Andrews even willed his castle to his Boy Scout organization. It is through future troop members that the castle is watched over and restoration is carried out. They run the museum and host activities at the castle. Weddings and parties are also held at the castle. A popular Boy Scout program called OverKnights takes place at the castle, where others can enjoy campfires, storytelling, and learn sword-fighting skills.
You can presently find the Loveland Castle at 12025 Shore Road in Loveland, Ohio.