who was one of their heirs including his two other siblings completed the interior furnishing 15 rooms and moved into the house himself. The exterior was completed but even by 1919, twelve years after Snyders passing the inside remained a shell. The mansion was 80×100 feet and lays 250+ feet above the lake.įor many years though the mansion remained unfinished as life passed by. Ten greenhouses were halfway constructed just west of the mansion but were never finished. It was to be two acres and the largest private greenhouse in the world where he planned to grow peaches, grapes, figs and oranges. Carloads of glass for the greenhouse would make their way up the hill. Scattered throughout all the spacious forest and hills would also be a water tower, stables with the capacity for 100 horses, and a world-class greenhouse. Snyder, they continued to make the dream come true. But with the dedicated work of his widow and brother George P. But work was then halted the following year after Snyder passed away. He took $125,000 out from the Bank of Lebanon solely for labor alone, this would bring the total cost of the project to over $200,000 when it was all said and done. Sandstone was quarried from nearby and mules with wagons and a small temporary railroad was created to get them 25 miles to the remote location. A three-story, European-style home with more than twenty rooms and a center atrium accompanied by a skylight.Ĭonstruction started in 1905 with materials being gathered from around the area as the land had an abundance to give. With bright plans to build a $75,000 fortress, Snyder spared no expense to make the castle of his dreams. He was able to acquire the whole park which at the time consisted of 2,750 acres. Growing fonder and fonder of the lush scenery that surrounded the land and began searching for land to purchase. Snyder a wealthy Kansas City businessman had begun visiting the area. The name Ha Ha Tonka is said to mean “Laughing Waters” in the native Osage language. The Ha Ha Tonka State Park is comprised of a huge lake and 3,751 acres of wilderness. When driving through the Ozarks of Camden County one can expect to see an abundance of sparkling springs, waterfalls, lakes, caves, and acres of trees.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |