Hartford Castle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hartford Castle is the ruins of a 19th century residence located near Hartford, Illinois. It is located on private property at 38°48′2″N, 90°5′4″W (38.800600, -90.084600) approximately 15 miles north of downtown St. Louis, Missouri.

The mansion, known as "Lakeview" at the time of its construction in 1897, was built by a French immigrant by the name of Benjamin Biszant. Prior to construction, a moat was dug around the property, and the excavated soil was used to elevate the construction site, which is located on the Mississippi River floodplain. Biszant built the residence for use by himself and his English bride. He sold the property and moved away after she died in the early 1900's.

The mansion passed through many hands over the years, reportedly serving at various times as a boys' military school, a school for unwed mothers, a resort, a speakeasy, and finally as a private residence until it burned to the ground on March 21, 1973.

Although the ruins provide scant evidence of the one-time grandeur of the mansion, the triangular moat with 1000-foot-long sides remains distinct and visible from the air.