There’s An Abandoned Castle in Southern Oklahoma

When you think about associating the word "Castle" with America, it doesn't quite add up. The founding of this country began with the fight against an unruly king, and royalty just doesn't pass the sniff test in this part of the world.

Sure, you'll hear people call each other King and Queen from time to time, but it's usually some explosive couple having a domestic in Walmart when you do... So how did a castle end up in Oklahoma? It's a common tale of people romanticizing the past.

Almost a hundred years ago, there was a professor at the University of Oklahoma that decided he would put down roots in the Sooner State and started to plan out his retirement with a grand idea. He was going to build a couple of castles South of Norman for guests to experience when they visited his ranch on the edge of the Turner Falls recreation area. Doctor Collins did just that. Now we have the Collins Castle area to explore at Turner Falls.

It's not the first castle to be built in this country, and it most likely won't be the last. The Wikipedia page for United States Castles is a long list of structures that qualify under that definition, and I suppose our likeness to them is something nostalgic of fairy tales. I know my hometown has a public pool and golf course designed to look like medieval castles, but you can't explore those the same way you can this Collins Castle.

I assume since it's a part of the Turner Falls recreation area now, you'll have to pay to get access to it... Don't quote me, I've never been... but it is sort of neat that you can walk around one castle that has stood the test of time for ninety years and, if you're brave enough, you can walk around the other one that seems to be crumbling too. If that's something you'd like to check out, click here.