Curwood Castle
Encyclopedia
Curwood Castle is a small castle, now a museum, located in Owosso, Michigan
. It was built in 1922 and was home to author James Oliver Curwood
, who used one of the turret
s as a writing studio.
Jim Curwood was born in Owosso in 1878. He built this replica of a Norman
chateau along the banks of the Shiawassee River
near his home in Owosso in 1922 and 1923. The exterior is made of yellow stucco
containing fieldstone
s he chose himself. The roof is slate with copper trim. The structure does not contain any eating or sleeping areas. He used the great room to entertain guests, including movie producers, and the largest turret as his writing studio.
A hunter in his early years, Curwood later became a zealous conservationist, and was appointed to the Michigan Conservation Commission in 1926. He died a year later at age 48. In his will, the castle was given to the City of Owosso. It has served in various capacities over the years and is now a museum operated by the city, and is open to the public.
Each year, the Curwood Festival
takes place there to celebrate the life and works of James Oliver Curwood.
Owosso, Michigan
Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,713 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent...
. It was built in 1922 and was home to author James Oliver Curwood
James Oliver Curwood
James Oliver Curwood was an American novelist and conservationist. His writing studio, Curwood Castle, is now a museum in Owosso, Michigan.-Biography and career:Curwood was born in Owosso, the youngest of four children...
, who used one of the turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s as a writing studio.
Jim Curwood was born in Owosso in 1878. He built this replica of a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
chateau along the banks of the Shiawassee River
Shiawassee River
The Shiawassee River in the U.S. state of Michigan is long and generally flows in a northerly direction. It merges together with the Flint River, the Cass River and the Tittabawassee River to form the Saginaw River, which drains into the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron.-Description:Supporting...
near his home in Owosso in 1922 and 1923. The exterior is made of yellow stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
containing fieldstone
Fieldstone
Fieldstone is a building construction material. Strictly speaking, it is stone collected from the surface of fields where it occurs naturally...
s he chose himself. The roof is slate with copper trim. The structure does not contain any eating or sleeping areas. He used the great room to entertain guests, including movie producers, and the largest turret as his writing studio.
A hunter in his early years, Curwood later became a zealous conservationist, and was appointed to the Michigan Conservation Commission in 1926. He died a year later at age 48. In his will, the castle was given to the City of Owosso. It has served in various capacities over the years and is now a museum operated by the city, and is open to the public.
Each year, the Curwood Festival
Curwood Festival
The Curwood Festival is a celebration of the American novelist James Oliver Curwood in Owosso, Michigan. Many of his novels were written in Curwood Castle on the banks of the Shiawassee River.-History:...
takes place there to celebrate the life and works of James Oliver Curwood.