Have you ever remembered something so... specifically? I do, and often, including the first time I saw the "Gnome Castle" in the Alpharetta area. I had been working at North Point Mall nearby and my manager had left her store keys at home. I still didn't drive, even at 16, and my dad and I were waiting for her in the empty complex when she hustled to the store front, out of breath, bemoaning her mistake. She had driven all the way from Woodstock without them, in fear I had been dropped off and was waiting for her alone.
"I am so sorry! Come on, I'll treat you to Chick-fil-A and hey! I'll take you by the Gnome Castle! Ugh, I'm such a klutz!"
I happily got in to the passenger seat of of Carla's green Nissan Altima and we went on our way. Chewing my biscuit with grape jelly, I stared wide-eyed at the little gnomes and the glowing, light colored stone, practically sunken into the ground.
"Did you see the moat!? It's actually a swimming pool! You'll get a better look on the way back!"
The moat really is a swimming pool at the little castle, surrounded by a wrought iron fence with stone posts. The castle is a grey-ish white stone, with turrets graced by eagle statues, and drawbridges. Triangular windows and a triangular door frame keep with the pointed silhouette of the turrets. Two gates to the driveway lock the private residence away from the public, all while the gnomes stand triumphantly above your head.
The castle was built in 1950 by Rudy McLaughlin for his dear wife Ruby. Atlas Obscura reports Rudy, a long-haul truck driver, promised Ruby a castle and then delivered it. Atlas Obscura reports the two-bedroom house is a little over 1,400 square feet and has two garages, which are only accessible via drawbridge.
Red Door Atlanta claims the stone castle is pink and white marble and the mortar and concrete for the roof and turrets were hoisted up in five gallon buckets - oy! It also alleges most of the living space in the home is underground.
The castle is located in the Alpharetta-Milton-Roswell area, on Arnold Mill Road at Cagle Road. Occasionally it is referred to as Cagle Castle.
When I stopped by recently, the castle was just as pretty as ever, though one set of gnomes seems to be off-duty, and while very visible from the road (if you are taking passenger seat pictures) there is a small pull-off right behind the castle - just be sure to keep your curiosity on the sidewalk.
But back to that first memory. We retreived the keys and Carla drove me back to the mall, passing the castle one more time. In the store, I folded t-shirts and spaced hangers, giddy over the thought that one day maybe I too could have a clever little castle in the middle of the suburbs.
