Castle on a Hill

The Castle House is a landmark for all living in the Bismarck-Mandan-Lincoln area. While the sight of it is familiar to many, the story behind it isn’t as well known. “In 1903 the spurious Count Joseph Weible came over from Germany and built the house,” explains Signey Leischner, whose family, the Syvruds, have owned the home since 1995. As spurious suggests, the issue with this Count was that he wasn’t a count at all. He had stolen the real Count Joseph Weible’s money and wife and ran off to Mandan, North Dakota where he constructed this house. When the law caught up to him, he ran off again with his wife on horseback, never to be seen or heard from again. “Charles Hegaard, the owner of the lumber store that supplied the lumber to build the Castle House, was owed a lot of money and since he wasn’t getting his money, he took the house instead,” tells Signey Leischner. The house switched owners a couple times after that until the Syvrud family bought it in 1955 for $4,000.

Another interesting fact about this house is its location. Where it currently stands is not where it was originally built. The large home had to be moved to make way for a Red Owl Grocery store. The Syvruds used a Biederman truck and it took four gallons to move the 90-ton house just one mile. Even after it arrived the family couldn’t move in for another seven years because of all the renovations, additions, repair work, and plumbing and water work.

The Castle Hill has three floors and each one offers a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Featured inside the home is another kind of beauty. The staircase is original and the intricate oak millwork carved on it is incredible. The floors are quarter sawn oak and below the windows are unique round radiators that keep the house cozy during the cold. The rooms feature large closets, and the master bedroom even has his and hers closets which was unusual for the time. The third floor is perfect for young children with its countless nooks and crannies to play in. “We’ve got wall to wall kids up here in the summer. The great grandchildren love this place,” says Karol Harriman, the current resident of the Castle House and one of the daughters of Peter Syvrud who bought the house in 1955.

The Castle House is beautiful, and, despite its nefarious beginnings, has become a place of joy and love for the Syvruds that holds many special memories.