Did You Know That Louisiana Is Home to an Irish Castle?
While I'm not about to claim the luck of the Irish for all of Louisiana for St. Patrick's Day, I would like to humbly point out that we do have an Irish castle sitting on a bayou in true Louisiana fashion! But the fact remains, that at one point, you could buy a legit Irish castle right here in the boot and we have the pictures to prove it!
The Irish Bayou Castle is located just outside of New Orleans on HWY 11 and can be seen for miles from I-10. At one point, it was being offered for sale by Matthew Grass of The Agency of M. Grass Group, LLC for $500,000. It's no longer on the market.
The Irish Bayou Castle was an investor's dream with a unique history.
Because the home was being sold as a commercial property, I wasn't able to find a lot of specifics about the castle but did find out that the property was built in 1981 by Simon Villemarette as a tourist attraction for the 1984 World's Fair. Unfortunately, the reproduction castle on Irish Bayou wasn't successful as a tourist attraction during the 1984 World's Fair, but it has become a landmark that garners a lot of curiosity.
The Irish 'Fisherman's' Castle was built to last.
This property has withstood the likes of Hurricane Katrina and her friends and could easily be used as a residence, but it could also serve as a great wedding/event venue, an Airbnb, a bed and breakfast, or even a fishing camp. The property has 2 bedrooms, 1½ baths, spans 942 sq ft, and includes the camp across the road, and the adjoining lot.
According to NOLA.com, the 14th-century reproduction was used by Peter and Pamela Egan as a weekend camp for about four years before they sold it for $62,000 in 1995. That's when Charles and Jean Kuhl purchased the castle and then later sold it in 2014 for $150,000. Fox8live.com reported that the castle was undergoing extensive renovations in 2015. You can find out more about the castle's history by following the Irish Bayou Castle Facebook page.
Believe it or not, there are quite a few 'castles' in Louisiana.
Incidentally, did you know that there are several castles in Louisiana? Find out more about Louisiana's other castles here. But before you do that, let's take a look at this fun property and do a little dreaming!