"The Castle" is a mansion built in 1892 by Bryon Roger Sherman, and is now the home of the Meagher County Museum. The mansion has twelve rooms all laid with hardwood floors and covered with Belgian and Oriental rugs. In the bathrooms were washbowls and stands of Italian marble, and the light fixtures were of crystal and brass. The Victorian landmark is made of hand-cut granite blocks hauled by oxen from the nearby Castle Mountains. The museum is complete with period furniture, mineral samples, clothing and artifacts from the region's past.
Sherman installed a large water tank in the attic, supplied by pump from a windmill in the northeast corner of the yard. In 1894 he enlarged a pond on his ranch that was fed by an abundant spring and laid a twenty-inch pipe about 150 yards down the hill to a two-story electric light plant that had two dynamos in the basement. The electricity was carried into town on bare wire strung on pine and spruce poles. The plant could run only about six hours before the pressure of the pond became too low. Consumers learned to plan their activities around the 'on' hours, but they could lay claim to living in one of the first towns in the state to have electricity.
Sherman didn't live in his stone castle too many years before retiring and moving to California. He sold the property to the Donahoe family, who would gift the home to the Meagher County Historical Association in 1960. It opened as a museum in 1967, housing the Historical Association office as well as the county archives.
In 1989, a large carriage house was built to house the carriages and sleds that had been stored in several ranchers' barns, as well as the old bank, a schoolroom, a stagecoach from the Canyon Ferry line, two horse-drawn fire engines, and saddles, chaps, and mementos from the days of the open range. The Castle Museum is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Off season tours may be available in the spring and fall by appointment only.
The Meagher County Historical Association offers a variety of events throughout the warmer months associated with the museum, including the popular Dark Side of the Springs tours, paranormal ghost hunts, author events, and more. The grounds and buildings are available for rent for private events.
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