One sunny weekend day, we were looking for something to do while we were in Southwest Missouri. Mama Nomad asked if we wanted to see a castle? As some of you may know, it is hard for me to resist a castle. But, I thought “where is there a castle in SW Missouri?” Then I remembered the castle we saw in West Virginia and that thought fleeted from my mind.
About two hours north of where we were, by a town called Camdenton, was a Missouri State Park called 
Ha Ha Tonka. And, within this 3,700 acre property was the remains of a castle as well as trails and hills to hike. So, we jumped into Ebony and away we went.
We got there in around 2 and a half to three hours. We went into the local town to see a few things before we headed out to the State Park. We got to Ha Ha Tonka by using the entrance off of Highway 54 and turning onto State Road D. A couple of miles down the road you will enter the park area.
There are multiple parking spots. We picked one that was semi-close to the castle, parked, got geared up and headed on down the trail. We came upon the ruins of an old building that looked to be the size of a large house. So, we began to scout around it and took some pix while there. We thought, “Why do people come from all over to see this? It is not big enough to call a castle.” Well, that is correct. We walked around the side and saw a sign that said “Carriage House.” Are you kidding me? We mistook a carriage house for a possible castle. We did not know what passed for a “castle” in this area so it was an easy mistake.
Then, a little further up the hill, we saw a sign that gave the history of the Robert McClure Snyder Castle. That’s a mouthful. I am just going to call it Snyder Castle. He was a businessman from Kansas City that bought over 5,000 acres and began construction of his dream home in the form of a European Style Mansion, in 1905. All materials for construction were sourced locally. Included in the design was a water tower, stables (umm…carriage house) and nine greenhouses to support the needs of the home.
In 1906, Robert was killed in an automobile accident. Sixteen years later, his sons returned to finish the construction. In 1942, the castle and stable were destroyed by fire and the water tower was damaged by fire in 1976. Nothing but the walls remain of the castle and stable. But, even though, the castle was magnificent to behold.
The castle sits on the highest spot on this hill. It overlooks the Niangua River at the bottom of the slope. If you are quiet, you can hear the rush of the water over the rocks just upstream. As you approach the castle, you see three story walls with rectangle and semi-arched window openings. There is a staircase and arches that define the entryway. When walking around the castle, you will see the archway design repeating at each entrance.
When you look through the areas where windows once existed, you can see into the castle and its floor plan. You can see where floor joists spanned from one wall to another on each level. Another thing that is apparent are the archway lower level supports. The arch is supposed to be one of the strongest structures. I suppose the designers believed it and built it into the design of the castle from the foundation up. Must be some truth to it, the place is still standing 70 years after it was ravaged by fire and almost 100 years after construction was finished.
When you journey around to, what seems to be the back side of the castle, you will see old remnants of a fountain area. I can just imagine it being surrounded by green grass with the Ozark Hills in the backdrop and the Niangua River at the bottom of the hill, on the other side of the stone wall and railing.
A few hundred yards from the castle was the water tower. Water from a nearby spring was captured into a line, which ran to a hydraulic ramp pump (operated by water pressure and gravity) and then lifted into the water tower (a vertical distance of nearly 300 feet). The water in the water tower was kept in a tank at the top and then water was fed to the castle through the usage of gravity.
The fire seemed to destroy the inside, but the outside and even the roof seemed fine. Looking inside it, you can see the same marks on its walls where floor joists were inserted into the rock walls to support each floor.
About a quarter of a mile from the water tower is something called the Natural Bridge. Why? Well, because it was a massive rock that bridged the gap from one side of a route to the other. No real mystery. It was simply a nature made bridge. It was used for horse and buggy to go across as well as light vehicles.
You can trek down to the bottom and under the natural bridge.There is a path you can follow that will continue on down to the Niangua River. We did not continue as night was falling and the park closes at dusk. But, we did take a few moments to clown around on the vines hanging from the trees. Got to enjoy nature’s jungle gym.
We enjoyed Ha Ha Tonka State Park. The castle was actually a big surprise. If you like to hike, the trails are well maintained and much of it is man made. To fully explore all of the trails, you likely need two days or one very, very long day. If we are ever in the Camdenton area again, we will likely drop in and hike the trail down to the river. If you are in the area, I do suggest stopping in and taking a look. Safe Travels.
