The Villa Kathrine is a Moroccan-style home located on the bluffs overlooking the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

in Quincy,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. This home is the subject of a local lost treasure story as well as a ghostlore story featuring a dog.

History

The unique home, sometimes branded as a castle, was built in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

by architect George Behrensmeyer for wealthy Quincy native W. George Metz. Metz had a fondness for

Mediterranean architecture Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

, and used the Villa Kathrine as his home when he was not venturing the world. Metz eventually sold the castle in 1912, and the site fell into disrepair and neglect before the non-profit ''Friends of the Castle'' sought to restore the Villa in 1978. Work on restoring the castle was completed in 1998, and appropriate site furnishings have been donated and obtained by staff throughout the years to further enhance the castle's Moroccan roots. Currently, the site functions as the official tourist information center to the City of Quincy and tours are granted of the site on an appointment basis. Inside, the castle features a harem, a

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

, and a

reflecting pool A reflecting pool, also called a reflection pool, is a water feature found in gardens, parks, and memorial sites. It usually consists of a shallow pool of water, undisturbed by fountain jets, for a reflective surface. Design Reflecting pools are ...

. Much of the designs for the interior and exterior of the building were based upon W. George Metz's sketches of Islamic architecture that he observed during his global travels. In 2010, the Villa Kathrine was used as a filming location in the Struber Productions film, ''Fang'', which has yet to be released.

Legend

According to local legend, Metz shared his travels with a woman he met in Germany and intended to bring her to Quincy. The woman, however refused to move into the lavish new home that Metz had commissioned, and Metz returned to the United States broken-hearted and alone. Another version of the story states that this mysterious woman died en route to Quincy. It was reported that Metz was not a total recluse after his heartbreak, as he was known throughout the community for hosting lavish parties at his home and dining with friends. But for twelve years, the only companion to share in his dream house was his 212-pound Great Dane named Bingo. Upon Bingo's death, Metz fell into a great depression and sold the house in 1912 at the request of his family. He ended up selling the Villa Kathrine to prospective occupants which were actually agents for the railroad industry. When word got out that they intended to demolish the site in favor of a

railroad yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...

, vandals sacked the building and stole the furnishings. When Metz saw the neglect, he vowed never to return to the site again. He would later return to the castle with press and exclaim that he wished he still owned the site, so that he would tear it down. Bingo, the dog, has been said to be haunting the building. Rumors have also circulated that Bingo was buried with a large cache of gold somewhere on the site, but the canine body has yet to be found.

References

External links

* {{official, url=http://www.thevillakathrine.org/
Quincy, Illinois Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau

PBS Clip on the Villa Kathrine

Illinois Adventure: Villa Kathrine
Houses completed in 1900 National Register of Historic Places in Adams County, Illinois Architecture museums in the United States Buildings and structures in Quincy, Illinois Moorish Revival architecture in Illinois Reportedly haunted locations in Illinois Historic house museums in Illinois Houses in Adams County, Illinois Museums in Adams County, Illinois Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Tourist attractions in Quincy, Illinois