Historic Loveland Castle and Museum

At the bottom of a long winding road in Symmes Township, you'll find the Loveland Castle, a Medieval-style castle that was built by Harry Delos Andrews over the course of 50 years with nothing but hard work, his own two hands, and milk cartons. The massive structure is so impressive that it's hard to believe anyone could have literally built it by creating each and every brick themselves. Construction on the castle began in 1929, on the shore of the Little Miami River in Ohio, on land donated to Harry courtesy of two fully paid Cincinnati Enquirer subscriptions. Initially the land was a getaway for weekend camping adventures with his Boy Scout Troup, but It was during that time that Harry dreamed up the idea of building his own castle. The castle started off as two stone forts used in place of tents. Little did anyone realize that these two meager constructions were the starting point for what has since become the Chateau Laroche. In the early stages, the castle was made from stones pulled from the river bank, but once Harry had depleted his natural resources, he began making his own stones by pouring concrete into cardboard milk containers. Harry died in 1981 and willed his amazing handmade castle to the Boy Scouts. Since then it's gone through quite a few renovations, and many believe Harry's spirit is still hanging around, keeping an eye on things. In fact, a majority of the paranormal incidents at the castle have been witnessed first-hand by the Chateau's very own volunteer "knights", people who contribute countless hours at the castle, keeping its fires lit and performing routine maintenance. Harry's death, despite being the age of 91, has also contributed to the ghost stories told within the castle's walls. While burning trash on the roof of the castle one afternoon, Harry caught fire and died. Since then, Sir Harry has been spotted walking across the roof of the castle, as well as hanging out in the main dining hall on the second floor. Of course, Harry is not the only spirit rumored to haunt the castle. Three different ghosts are said to hang around the Loveland grounds. One of the ghosts is a woman often spotted walking the castle garden at night. Another of the property's famous spirits is nicknamed "The Viking" for his long dark robe and horned helmet. One of the most famous stories about the Loveland Castle ghosts involves a girl who insisted on mocking the property's spirits during her visit. She described being electrocuted by an unseen jolt of electricity that ran through her body, and fled the castle vowing to never return. Loveland, Ohio isn't new to the world of the wierd and unexplainable. In 1972, two separate policemen described seeing a 3-foot-tall man, with glowing eyes, who resembled what they both described as a frog-like humanoid. The second sighting of the Loveland Frogman took place on March 17, 1972, when police officer Mark Matthews spotted something in the middle of the road. When he stopped the car, the creature sat up quickly, and began making its way to a nearby guardrail, watching (and smirking) in Matthews' direction the entire time.  The run-in frightened the officer so much he fired his weapon at the creature, just missing it before it dissipeared into the night.  Since the 70s, others have reported experiences with the small, frog-like man lurking around the wooded ares of Loveland, Ohio. Sometimes he's described as holding a wand that shoots sparks, and other times he's followed by the strange and distinct smell of almonds.  Whether you want to spend an afternoon exploring one of America's coolest "folly castles", or you're looking to spend the night searching for ghosts in the dungeons or the famous Ohio "Frogman", Loveland Castle is the perfect destination for it. -Roadtrippers The Historical Loveland Castle & Museum Chateau Laroche was built as an expression and reminder of the simple strength and rugged grandeur of the mighty men who lived when Knighthood was in flower. It was their knightly zeal for honor, valor and manly purity that lifted mankind out of the moral midnight of the dark ages and started it towards the gray dawn of human hope.Present human decadence proves a need for similar action. Already the ancient organization of Knights have been re-activated to save society. Any man of high ideas who wishes to help save civilization is invited to become a member of the Knights of the Golden Trail, whose only vows are the Ten Commandments. Chateau Laroche is the World headquarters of this organization, started in 1927. Château Laroche, also known as the Loveland Castle, is a museum on the banks of the Little Miami River, in Loveland, Ohio. A folly of a historical European castle, construction began in 1929 by Boy Scout troop leader and World War I veteran and medievalist Harry D. Andrews. He built the castle on two free plots of land that his scouts obtained by paying for one-year subscriptions to The Cincinnati Enquirer. Andrews named his castle after a military hospital in the Chateau La Roche in France where he was stationed during the First World War. For over fifty years, Andrews worked on his castle project. He pulled stones from the nearby Little Miami River, and when that supply was exhausted, molded bricks with cement and quart milk cartons. When Andrews died in 1981 he willed the castle to his Boy Scout troop the Knights of the Golden Trail (KOGT).  The Castle has been extensively upgraded and renovated in the years since Andrews death and has been mostly completed by the KOGT. The East tower now houses a short video presentation on Andrews' quest to finish his dream. The walls of the upstairs chapel feature many stones brought back by Andrews in his world travels and others sent to him from foreign locations by his friends and followers. Recently completed are an expansion to the outside gardens and a greenhouse. Tales of the castle being haunted – often coming from Chateau Laroche's own volunteer knights – have been reported over the years. Also interesting is the town of Loveland itself, which was the subject of a series of "frog man" sightings in the mid-50's. The Loveland Frog was a giant amphibian that terrorized the town residents, sometimes with a "magic wand", resulting in a bit of mass panic.  Don't worry though, the frogman hasn't been seen in years.