Most People Have No Idea There Are Remnants Of A Medieval Fortress Hiding In This Arkansas Forest
By Carol Ann Carson|Updated on December 31, 2022(Originally published December 26, 2022)
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Carol Ann Carson
Author
Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. The graduate of University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Carol Ann earned her B.A. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. in Library Science. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite.
The Natural State has many hidden gems – in a state with so much wilderness, there are plenty of beautiful areas that don’t get much as much attention as they deserve. Most of these spots are what you’d expect, things like secret waterfalls, hidden caves, under-appreciated trails, and other natural features. You probably wouldn’t expect there to be a 13th-century French castle in Arkansas. The Ozark Medieval Fortress castle still stands, somewhat forgotten in the woods in Leed Hill, not too far from the state line. This place should have been a popular Arkansas attraction, but instead it’s left decaying in obscurity.
Many of the photos used in this article came from our friends over at AbandonedAR. This is a great site for anyone interested in abandoned places in Arkansas. Preservation of places from Arkansas history is so important!
It isn't uncommon at all to find abandoned places in Arkansas. We've got tons of empty hideouts, weathered old cemeteries, and sometimes even entire homesteads hidden within the Ozark woods. Most folks have forgotten what else is hidden here, though...
The Ozark Medieval Fortress, also known as the Castle of the Ozarks, sits not far off Highway 14 West in Lead Hill. The remnants of this half-finished project are quite a surprise to find in the Ozark forest.
The Ozark Medieval Fortress was supposed to be a top-rated tourist attraction, drawing visitors from far and wide to the Natural State. Now, the castle has sat abandoned for over a decade.
The (also-abandoned) Facebook page of the Castle of the Ozarks states that the goal of the project was "to invite Americans to adopt this project so that it will become a place unique on American soil." The project was to be an educational adventure for visitors.
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This oddball project was originally begun by restoration enthusiast Michel Guyot back in 2009.
Guyot was inspired by the Guédelon Castle in France. He hoped to build a reproduction of the castle using the same 13th-century techniques that would have been used in its construction. Land for the project was donated by two French citizens who lived in the Ozarks, Solange and Jean-Marc Mirat. A group of more than 30 artisans worked on the castle using nothing but simple tools and mules. The Castle of the Ozarks officially opened to the public in May 2010.
In its prime, the Ozark Medieval Fortress attracted hundreds of visitors from neighboring states. After all, it's not every day that you get to see a castle in Arkansas!
Guests could watch the artisans work on the fortress's construction. There were even opportunities for visitors to make their own small works of art, like crafting bracelets out of hand-spun wool for $25. A collection of medieval siege weapons was available to view at the site. The Castle of the Ozarks was so popular that in 2011, it was named one of the Top 10 Places to Visit in Arkansas by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Now, however, the Ozark Medieval Fortress is left abandoned and decaying in the woods.
The project closed due to lack of investors. In January 2012, the Ozark Medieval Fortress went up for sale, but it remains unsold and has been abandoned for all these years.
It's surprising how little the site has changed over the years.
Of course, the surrounding forest has begun taking over the castle. The buildings and many of the items remain simply frozen in time, slowly being reclaimed by nature.
It seems unlikely that an investor will come along and give the fortress a new renaissance. This was one of the most ambitious architectural projects ever undertaken and it appears to be permanently abandoned.
