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Mystery Castle
4 reviews for Mystery Castle
This place is truly a piece of living folkart.
I thoroughly recommend talking with Mary Lou Gulley if she's there when you take a tour of her house. She's practically roadside attraction royalty and oh so amusing to speak with.
Take a picture with her and her massive collection of rocks painted to look like animals. She fondly refers to them as her friends.
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This castle is really neat, amazing how this place was built. A must to see if you are in Phoenix. I was in awe walking thru the castle, Boyces daughter still lives there, You can tour everything but her bedroom. Really something to see, worth the $5 [ I've seen less for more! ]
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The reality of dying was thrust upon Boyce Luther Gulley in his prime. Choosing not to live a life of quiet desperation awaiting the end, he ran away from home, family and friends. Those were sad but wondrous times of soul searching and physical activity. In his heart was permanently etched the vision of those precious moment in time when he and his little girl, Mary Lou, built sand castles on the beach in Seattle, Washington. How she would cry when the tide washed them away. "Please, Daddy, build me a big and strong castle someday that I can live in. Maybe you ought to build it on the desert where there is no water." He would smile and wonder perhaps it's no coincidence that he migrated to Arizona, where he gradually regained his health. So he built her a native stone castle: 18 rooms, 13 fireplaces, parapets and many charming nooks and crannies, then furnished it with southwestern antiques.
The "king" died in 1945, before he could send for his family. The little girl now an aged "princess", dwells in her "sand" castle, and is living the last fairytale. By conducting tours, Mary Lou Gulley maintains the castle and perpetuates her dream.
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You've probably driven by it and wondered, 'what the hell is that??'
It's the Mystery Castle of Phoenix and Boyce Gulley began building it in 1930. The curiously constructed house is a point of fascination for many Phoenix residents. And lucky for all of us, Mystery Castle tours are still offered. One of the most interesting features of Mystery Castle is that Gulley used salvaged materials, auto parts, junk, and other artifacts he found in the Southwest and in Mexico in the building of his home.
You can even see petroglyphs built right into the wall during your tour. Pretty cool. Gully's daughter still lives here, but she no longer allows weddings to be held at her home. Tours however, are still given and if you haven't been, it's a unique way to spend the afternoon.
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