Parsons to use during the week,” records state. Collings would bring concrete mix down on the weekends for Mr. Parsons,” and their son, from Norman to help with construction of the castle - something the professor was very much involved in himself. So avid was Collings about all-things ranching, the castle was believed to be only part of a bigger dude ranch that he had in mind, park manager Graham said, but “because of the Depression and the economy in the '30s, it never came about.”Ī LITTLE LUXURY, BUT ALSO A SIGN OF THE TIMESĭavis city records show Collings hired a “Mr. Today, much of his collection is displayed at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City and the Woolaroc Musuem in Bartlesville. He also had a larger cabin nearby that served as a “museum” where he collected artifacts such as spurs, branding irons and miniature saddles, Geis said. “I remember they had a couch that was formed by Texas longhorns,” said Geis.Ĭollings' passion for ranching was not confined to the castle. On the floor, Navajo blankets were laid out as rugs. Inside, the affable Ellsworth Collings showed off his passion for Western art and ranching displaying ornamental longhorns and a fraction of his massive collection of Western paintings. “She would bake angel food cakes and pies, and they would have barbecue outside.” The Collingses often held social gatherings during summer weekends at the castle's outdoor patio. “My husband used to know how many stairs there were because when he was learning to walk, he was jumping up and down, and he would count them going up,” Geis chuckled as she recalled. She lived in one of the nearby cabins while her husband served in the Korean War. Geis moved into the Collings estate when she married the couple's grandson, Ronald E. at OU that owned cabins and property next to it, and that's why they bought in that area.” But, 80-year-old relative Betty Geis said, “Mr. There are few written records that explain why the Collingses built the castle. You can see why they built it where they did - overlooking the creek,” Shackelford said. “There are some beautiful views looking out the windows. In the main living hall, a steep spiral stairway led to another floor of rooms, and then farther up into a claustrophobic overlook tower that carries the castle's signature slim and narrow windows.
![abandoned castle the grounds abandoned castle the grounds](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/56/48/ef/5648ef4171250efe894b5f913fe88ffc--cannon-ruins.jpg)
Connecting them were dark and closet-like tunnels. Its rooms, modest in size, had ceilings no higher than an average person.
![abandoned castle the grounds abandoned castle the grounds](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Up614E5B00/UvQTD1B4DfI/AAAAAAAAB_M/b3ttxWFmrL0/s1600/2366460934_66e7eb88d0_o.jpg)
Within the compound were also two bunk houses and two “outhouses.” From the main building, a steep stairway of about a hundred steps led to a stable area that served as a garage in later years, according to a document at Davis City Hall. The castle covered less than an acre and included a main house with three rooms and two living areas with fireplaces, one ornately embellished with deep rust-colored rose rocks. It became part of the estate of the late Ellsworth Collings - an author who was also dean of the University of Oklahoma's education department nearly 20 years. Once described by a local newspaper as Davis' own “Camelot,” the castle was built in the 1930s. Funding this year went for a new slide, expanding a swimming area and other park and camp site improvements. The park draws some 250,000 visitors each year. And, so we had to cut some of them, and that was just one,” said Turner Falls Park manager Tom Graham. Yet, plans to restore the dilapidated castle constantly have been shelved due to a lack of funding. It's perhaps the same allure that continues to attract throngs of curious visitors. It's like there's somebody calling out to you,” said Shackelford, now 55. “Pass the castle, then you hear the falls.