Build A Castle, and They Will Come

[NoBill Lurker]

Build A Castle, and They Will Come

[Deckard And Zhora]

WOW! Cool.

[Woodland Artisan]

I was talking with some of the guys 2 weekends ago from the Arkansas version of this castle project.  They have lots of plans, a little help, good intentions, and a pretty good start for being 9 years (out of a planned 30 years) into their own castle.

From what they said and from others in the project I've talked with, it's a historical project ... sort of a living history center ... and any sort of renfaire , sca or other type of event (of their own or rented out to others) is not in their interest.  Which, I applaud.  They'll have special events but mostly it'll be a living history site.  Maybe interactive with the visitors with classes and programs, etc.   Of course, time and finances changes most things so we'll see just what happens ... in 20 or so more years.

Hopefully, they can get it completed and have enough revenue to sustain it in this area.  Actually, I'm far more interested in their next project, a cathedral, at that location than the castle.  THAT will be hugely impressive.  But, even as young as I am now, I'll likely be dead or at least not able to contribute my period woodworking/furniture making skills to it when it's time.

[LadyFae]

Well, there is definately some long term job security for those workers!  =)

[Bob of the Lake]

Very cool! I would love to volunteer to work on the project. Now if I could just get to France...

[Woodland Artisan]

Well, there is definately some long term job security for those workers!  =)

Well, as long as the financing holds out.  There's also the practical matter of the rapidly diminishing number of people with the skills, experience and (equally important these days) willingness to work at the specialized and demanding trades such projects require over the long term.  In twenty more years (at least), that 40+ year old master stone mason/layer/fitter/carver is going to be in his 60's and, hopefully, going strong ... although not nearly as strong as when the project started.  Sure, there's some unskilled manual laborers, although for such a demanding trade it's few, to help out in short stretches for the grunt work.  And, sure, there's always hope of training the next generation of masters in the needed trades as they go along (not sure if they are actively trying to do this though).  But, frankly, that's a fleeting hope and only looking less promising each new year for many of the traditional trades/crafts be it with this project or just in general.

So, yeah, there's some job security in it because it's a longterm project.  But, this kind of project takes a whole lot more than just one generation of tradesmen to build.  Not to mention the ongoing maintenance.  It could easily stall simply because of the lack of the right people able to do the work ... skilled or nonskilled.

I wish them well and hope they can find the answers as they go along.  They have quite a bit of people volunteering from all around the Americas and across the world but I think most of it is short term and, of course, quite 'willing to learn within their abilities and time to do so'.  They're always looking for more volunteers.

[Lady Christina de Pond]

cool i want to go to France

[Merlin the Elder]

The Ozark Medieval Fortress project actual construction is only a couple years in. (http://www.ozarkmedievalfortress.com) We visited the site this summer. I would recommend visiting during a cooler period! The rendering the website shows for 2010 is far more advanced than they actually were in July.

It really is an amazing project.  It's in Lead Hill, AR, not too far from Branson (a much more familiar landmark). If they don't finish until 2030, I don't know if we'll still be able to visit! We'll be near 80 years old!

If you do want to visit, make sure you check their schedule...at this point in construction, they shut down during the winter months.

[Woodland Artisan]

Well, I decided to visit the site myself for the first time just to see their progress with my own eyes and talk with their artisans.  Being just an hour from home and on my way to visiting some friends anyway, I went down last weekend.  I'm glad I went.  I've posted a few panoramic shots on my website (www.hiltonhandcraft.com) with a link on the homepage in the middle.  They're pretty big picture files so be (very) patient.  But, if you'll download them and view them in something with a zoom feature, you'll get some good details in there.

I had a good time and was impressed with the dedication and passion of the artisans and interpreters.  There are lots of problems and things I'd like to see done differently, of course, but at least they're trying to do the best with what they have and the century (the 21st with regulations, public expectations, etc.) they're having to *work* in rather than the century they're trying to portray.

From my talks with many of them, they are around 1 month to 6 months ahead of schedule right now (website and promotional artistic renderings be damned) but will soon be behind schedule as the walls go a little higher making it much more difficult to lift and place stones.

So, I have now actually seen it and have talked with the workers myself.  I have a better idea of where they're at and are trying to do.  Good luck everyone!

[Merlin the Elder]

The day we went (a Sunday), the entire crew wasn't working. We talked with a quarryman (although not one that later became a Beatle) and he told us that although they were currently hampered by OSHA regulations and were being required to use modern methods, he did tell us that a group from France were going to come train them in methods that would satisfy OSHA, but would be less anachronistic. Some of the other artisans were still learning the techniques to be more historically correct.

All in all, it's a fascinating project and will get more fascinating as it progresses.

[Woodland Artisan]

They no longer run their entire full crews like they did when they first started out.  Said that it was quite the sight when they had dozens upon dozens of people working all over the place but they learned their lesson on that one.

Well, they are, of course, having to deal with various regulations and safeguards (the one I heard most about from various people was the stone oven bakery not being able to be used. ha!) and that is fine.  But, there were lots of things being done that needn't be to satisfy those regs.  Minor things but still...

It's strange that you mentioned the French crew.  Many of the tools, equipment and supplies that they're still using here (being replaced as they can make/buy in many cases) in the Ozarks project came directly from the French project.  Some of them are just hanging around because nobody knows what they're used for ... but make nice decoration.  Also, several of the artisans mentioned the fact that the French crews had MUCH easier times of it because of the (comparatively) lax regulations governing them in many areas.  So, the local crew is having to take some of the notes, designs and procedures that they're getting from the French crew and modify them to suit our laws and work style (ala "French Pine").

I was pleasantly surprised to learn from the stone masons about some local/regional stone cutters with experience that had and continue to teach them periodically.  In fact, I was even more pleased to learn that almost all of the stone workers (except for the intentionally transient volunteers) were still working on the project and intended to stay.  It would be a shame to loose them ... of course, there's not a whole lot of need for their new-found skills in the area other than this project yet.

I still have my doubts as to the viability of this castle venture as well as the idea of a castle in the Ozarks anyway (regardless of the dubious justifications they give) but I certainly don't doubt the dedication and hard work of the artisans.

[Merlin the Elder]

I hope they can make it work. That area of the state does have it's ups and downs. I recall when Dogpatch, USA was a bustling concern and Eureka Springs was pretty much dead except for the summer months. There was also a ski resort near Dogpatch (in Arkansas?? In THIS HEAT???)  Eureka is now a madhouse year-round, and the other two are in ruins. The proximity to Branson, itself a relatively new hotspot, may provide it with a lifespan that it wouldn't otherwise have. Only time will tell.

[Woodland Artisan]

Good ol Dogpatch!   Unfortunately, this castle project and dogpatch often get mentioned in the same sentence by many of the locals here.  But, on the other hand, so does almost every project like that so I guess it's no big surprise.  Any time you have a tourist-dependent project going on in the Ozarks, you get the comparison.  Unfortunately, we see many similarities.

Poor Dogpatch is still having massive litigation problems (the theme park is long dead ... never to be revived ... but the land is what's in limbo) and will be for a long time to come.  However, last time I was by there, there was a little bikers related motel (?) up near the entrace.  Maybe that area will have a little going on afterall.  Ahh, yes, the Dogpatch Ski Resort. LOL  Just another example of "furners" with too much money (or hopes for it) and too little sense.  We see that every cycle.

Eureka.  What a strange little place.   It's somewhere that I like to use in my classes and talks about the Ozarks.  Perfect example of the social, economic and political vortex that the Ozarks can spin off in little eddys.  Only this one has been swirling for a LONG time.   They re-invent themselves (but only on the surface) and economically take advantage with each passing fad such the current cyclic (pun intended) trend of the bikers-week rallies (held seemingly monthly almost year-round) hosted in the area.  If you want to see a microcosm of Americana located within a good rocks throw in any direction, Eureka is a pretty good place to see it.  Ozarkers see Eureka as "the zoo" ... a place where you can go and see things/people from far off places that you'd just as soon not have next door to you all of the time.  Interesting place, that Eureka, AR.

A proximity to Branson is certainly one of those things that can help (and hurt) a project.  Much like a fire, it tends to bring people close to it and warm you just by being close  ... but it can burn you, too.  I know that the castle project has that in mind as an added advantage of their location ... just like many of us do for our own projects. <wink wink>

[Rani Zemirah]

I visited Dogpatch, and Lake Dardanelle, when I was, oh... 8-9 y/o, I guess, on an extended family vacation one summer, and it was my first experience with mountains of any sort.  It's really beautiful there, and I can hardly think of a more lovely setting for a medieval style castle! 

I'm amazed by both of these projects, and would love to visit both of them, although the one in AR is far more feasible, in reality.  Since we're right next door, relatively speaking, perhaps I'll try to budget in a visit for sometime next spring.  I know my renlet would be simply enthralled, and it would be a wonderfully covert history lesson for her, as well!  Not that she needs the sneaky approach to history, though.  She loves to learn about how people have lived throughout the various recorded eras, but this would fire her imagination like nothing she's ever had an opportunity to experience!!! 

Is there, by any chance, a website for the AR project?

[Woodland Artisan]

Merlin posted the link to their website in a post above, Rani.

They'll be closing down from about Thanksgiving to sometime in April (ish).  So, check with them late Winter to see when they'll actually be opening it back up.

I'm not sure a very young child (not knowing how old renlet is) would be too interested in the site for long.  For an adult you can at least get a sense of what they're doing and envision what it *could* be later on.  For older school-age children, they'll be interested and can probably understand it, too.   Just don't think of it as a place as filled out with people, booths, artisan areas, etc. as even a very new renfaire would be.  Not to say that it's completely devoid of life and craftspeople and huts for them to work in.  But, it's just different than renfaires.  And, as the project moves on and different artisans are required for different aspects of the project, you should see more and more of the "support" professions being included.