Castles on the Big Muddy

The start of the 20th century saw numerous houses built across the United States that were inspired by what Americans had discovered in their travels overseas. The Villa Katherine, in Quincy, IL, is one of my personal favorites of these sorts of houses.

It was built in 1900 and modeled after the Villa ben Ahben in Morocco. It's set well on a bluff that affords it a tremendous view of the Mississippi. To my knowledge it is the only castle overlooking the Mississippi.

Like so many of these houses it went through a period of neglect but had the good fortune to be rescued and cared for by a great group of people interested in preserving this unique building.

The website, with tons of great pictures, is here.