The Castle - California - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

History sign at the La Grange viewpoint on Hwy. 299 west of Weaverville, California. Text of Sign:
The Owners’ Residence: “The Castle”
Originally built by the company as the residence of the La Grange family at a cost of $68,000, “the Castle” sat on the point immediately to the west of where you are standing. The original plans for “the Castle” called for a one-story building, but in 1895, the plans were altered at the Baron’s request to add a second story. WIth its many windows and balconies, “the Castle” offered the owners and their guests a panoramic view of the mine’s operations. Following the Baron’s death “the Castle” became the residence of Pierre Bouery, the mine’s manager. It was actually during Bouery’s residence that “the Castle” became famous for its wine cellar, gourmet food, and dinner parties.
The La Grange Mine closed in 1918, and the family residence fell into a state of disrepair. Some parts of “the Castle” can still be found in a number of locations in and around Weaverville. You may want to visit the Weaverville Hotel, where the fireplace can be found in the hotel lobby or the Trinity County Historical Society’s Jake Jackson Museum where “the Castle’s” main entry doors and some of its furnishings have found a home.
Located along the western ridge bordering the mine to the north, the entire mine operations could be overseen from “the Castle.”
Although called “the Castle” by local residents for its association with French nobility, the building was a version of the Queen Ann Style with by windows, porches, rustic clapboard siding, a corner tower and distinctive roofline.
During Pierre Bouery’s tenure, “the Castle” was remodeled and refurbished with imported fireplace tiles, French wallpapers and stained glass.
In the mid-1930s the State built a new state highway on the north slope of the La Grange mine pit. The alignment chosen for the highway forced the demolition of “the Castle.”

Group that erected the marker: CalTrans URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Hwy. 299 Weaverville, CAlifornia United States 96093

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Date Logged Log   09/24/2012 Volcanoguy visited it