Chester Thorne was one of the founders of Tacoma, Washington. In 1907, as a gift for his bride, he purchased an English castle which was physically located in England, and had it dismantled and shipped brick by brick to the shores of American Lake where it was reassembled into what would become Thornewood Castle. Chester put so much time, effort and devotion into his new mansion that some say he is still there.
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| Thornewood Castle under construction in 1910. It would later be feature in the Stephen King film Rose Red. In real life, the ghost of the former owner of the stately mansion is said to walk the grounds to this day. |
If you recognize this castle, it may be because it was the mansion featured in the movie based on the Stephen King thriller "Rose Red". It was also used in the prequel to the movie "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer". Although the real hauntings of the castle are a bit different than that of the movie.
Over the years, some of the staff at the castle has claimed to see a man dressed in turn of the century riding attire walking about the lawn. Chester Thornewood liked to ride of course and many who have seen this figure believe it is the ghost of Mr. Thornewood himself. He has also been seen inside the mansion on occasion wearing the same riding outfit.
Chester's wife Anna Thornewood has also been reported as being seen in the old castle. She has mostly been seen standing in the windows of what used to be her old bedroom. Guests of the mansion's bread and breakfast have been walking in the gardens and have seen the figure of a woman in period clothing peering out of the windows. Perhaps she is waiting for Chester to return from his horse back ride.
The spirit of Mr. and or Mrs. Thornewood showed itself during a major restoration project at the castle. It seems that either Chester or Anna fussed over the lighting and glassware choices made by the current castle owners. It seems that in the evening, he would break light bulbs and glassware as if to say he did not like them. After a change was made, the disruptive behavior stopped. There are occasions when glass can be heard breaking, but no evidence is ever found that there was any physical damage done. Perhaps it is the ghosts of the Thornwoods letting everyone know who is in charge. It sounds tempting to book a room and see if one can catch a glimpse of the Ghosts of Thornewood Castle.
Location:
The Lakewood suburb of Tacoma
Latitude 47.130094, Longitude -122.551252
8601 N Thorne Ln SW
Tacoma, WA 98498
References:
http://www.thornewoodcastle.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornewood_Castle
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