Yesterday we toured Alliance’s most famous landmark, the Glamorgan Castle. The great marble mansion, now valued at over $8 million, was built between 1901 and 1905 at at cost of $400,000. Built by the Col. William Henry Morgan, it was named after Glamorganshire, Wales, his father’s birthplace.
Model of Col. Morgan's most famous invention---"the overhead traveling crane, which made it possible for the steel industry to operate on a large tonnage basis."
The Castle has changed hands several times throughout its history and is now home to the Alliance City School District’s administrative offices.
Constructed from blue and white Vermont marble, the castle is impressively castle-like on the outside, although the inside tells another story. The labyrinth of the interior is a combination of various styles and hand-carved exotic woods, and sections of the three floors and basement have also been renovated over the years.
One could truly lose their way on the inside. In fact, I half-seriously asked our docent if he got lost the first time he gave a tour, and with a laugh, he confessed that he indeed had.
While office space and storage now occupies a good part of the building, the Castle retains much of its artistic charm and architectural detail, and efforts remain underway to restore it as much as possible to its original glory.
the beautiful rotunda
A thorough history of Glamorgan Castle may be found here. Guided tours are available on Fridays at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Thanks to Tonya Capstick for providing the photos.
Homeschoolers' Adventures 