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The ship "Chacon" was designed by Leslie Geary and built in Seattle by Johnson Brothers and Blanchard in 1912 to be used in the Alaska fishing industry. The boat struck a boom cable, causing damage to the bow, and was beached. She was refloated and hauled up to Anchorage and taken out of the water and moved to Chugiak to be restored, which unfortunately did not happen.
The boat is badly deteriorated and shows a lot of vandal damage but, nevertheless, maintains an imposing presence along the Old Glenn Highway. The owners light it up during the holidays and it has a somewhat eerie fascination with passers-by.
[Kerin Fassler, 12/12/2017]Chacon - Derelict Ship:- Directions:
- Drive north out of Anchorage and take the South Birchwood exit. Turn right toward the Old Glenn hwy, drive a half-mile, turn left onto Old Glenn Hwy. The ship was on the right about one mile down the road, across the street from the Chugiak Fire Station.
- Status:
- Gone
A gift shop and town (with street lights shaped like candy canes) dedicated to Christmas, with all the trimmings, including the North Pole, live reindeer and the World's Largest Santa.
Roadsideamerica.com Report...
- Address:
- 101 Saint Nicholas Drive, North Pole, AK
- Directions:
- East of Fairbanks, at milepost 14 of the Richardson Hwy.
- Phone:
- 907-488-2200
- RA Rates:
- Major Fun
I have been to the house three times and listened to what the tour guides had to say, so here is the basic story behind the house:
The man that built it had a wife and daughter in Seattle, came down with tuberculosis, and made the decision to come to Arizona, partly because that's what people with TB did back in those days. Phoenix was a mecca for people with TB (the area now known as Sunnyslope in north Phoenix had its beginnings as a hospital camp for TB patients and their families).
He built the house and spent many years adding on -- my guess is he was like me and liked to stay busy and express himself. I think this is what brought him back to health. He was an artist and his house became one huge work of art. He built it with his daughter in mind as well and this is evident in many of the choices he made in construction. He actually recovered from TB after several years, but didn't return home to his family. Ironically he died of cancer shortly after recovering from TB.
Much of the things you see used in construction came from a dump that was nearby. He was very creative with materials and really ahead of his time in some cases; there are some windows made out of square glass dishes and it strongly resembles glass block like we see today in many homes. There is also a cemetery, wishing well,and chapel in the house.
I loved the tour and loved the man's daughter who still lives in the house. If you go, don't go to see a castle or a house -- go to see a work of art that functions as a home, and go to hear this family story.
[Richard, 11/07/2007]Mystery Castle:- Address:
- 800 E. Mineral Rd, Phoenix, AZ
- Directions:
- I-10 exit 155. West on Baseline Rd for 5.5 miles. Turn south onto 7th St. for 1.5 miles. At the end of the street, turn left onto Mineral Rd to get to the Castle. Golf courses and gated communities are built up to the edge of the Mystery Castle desert property.
- Hours:
- Currently closed to visitors. (Call to verify)
- Phone:
- 602-268-1581
- Admission:
- Adults $10. Cash only.
- Status:
- In Transition
- Phoenix, Arizona - Mystery Castle
We visited the Phoenix Mystery Castle 6/2/00. To add a bit more info: the gentleman who built it left Seattle and his family as he had Tuberculosis and did not want to go into a sanitorium. He did, in fact, build the house for his daughter, who still lives there and is still conducting the tours. There is a plethora of early Arizona artifacts including items given as gifts by Senator Barry Goldwater. Best to visit in the winter months. The house is closed to visitors mid-June to October. It was a bit warm when we visited. A stop well worth making.
[Richard and Betty Wood, 06/04/2000] An outsider art environment constructed from 1952 to 1974 using bits of Fiestaware -- with only a little Strontium 90.
Roadsideamerica.com Report...
- Address:
- 10023 N. 13th Place, Phoenix, AZ
- Directions:
- I-17 exit 207. East on Dunlap Ave. for three miles. Turn north onto Cave Creek Rd for one mile. Turn right onto E. Cheryl Drive (a small street), then an immediate right onto N. 13th Place. The Garden is halfway down the block, on the east side.
- Hours:
- Visible from street; open to public first Friday of every month, 2-6 pm. Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
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