Solomon's Castle

ABOUT THIS PLACE

Howard Solomon bought 40 acres of swamp near Ona in 1972 and spent seven years building a castle on it while his family lived in a trailer. He was a sculptor, and he was called the DaVinci of Debris for what he made out of things other people threw away. The castle runs to 12,000 square feet and its outside is sheathed in silver printing plates salvaged from a newspaper, which is why it shines from a distance. He cut and leaded 90 stained glass windows himself. Inside are hundreds of sculptures built from found objects, nuts, bolts, beer cans and shell: a motorcycle made of gears called Evil Kornevil, an elephant called Jeb the Bushman, and a room called the Menagerie holding dozens of pieces made from 50,000 wire coat hangers. Nearly every one carries a pun, and the guides tell them. The property has grown to 90 acres and holds galleries, a bed and breakfast, and a restaurant called the Boat in the Moat, a replica Spanish galleon sitting in an actual moat. Howard Solomon died in 2016 and the castle is still open. It runs Tuesday through Sunday from 11 to 4, from early October to the start of August, closed August and September. Cash and checks only