Mystery Castle, Phoenix

Mystery Castle is located in the city of Phoenix, in the foothills of South Mountain Park. It was built in the 1930s by Boyce Luther Gulley for his daughter Mary. After learning he had tuberculosis, Gulley moved from Seattle to the Phoenix and began building the house. Boyce Gulley died in 1945, and Mary Lou and her mother were notified by attorney that they had inherited the property. Shortly after, the mother and daughter moved in. Their story attracted national attention. In 1948, Mary Lou and her mother began offering tours of the home.

Said to be held together by a combination of mortar, cement, calcium, and goat milk, the sprawling 18-room, three story castle is built from a wide range of materials—stone, adobe, automobile parts, salvaged rail tracks from a mine, telephone poles, etc. It features a chapel, cantina, and a dungeon. Parts of the castle remain unfinished, and electricity and plumbing weren't added until 1992. The Mystery Castle has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.