Located in the western Ohio in West Liberty, these Gothic-designed castles Mac-O-Chee (circa 1879) & Mac-A-Cheek (circa 1871) were built by the brothers Donn and Abram Piatt. They are about 1 mile apart. Both Piatt castles have walls manually painted with intricate patterns, ceilings look like those from Gothic churches. Both have three stories and towers.
I first visited the Mac-A-Cheek castle, which was the castle that my GPS led me to when I searched for “Piatt Castles” online. It is located a little off the road and isolated from the busy city. I’m not sure how many visitors the castle gets every weekend, but when I was there on a Saturday afternoon, there were only 2 other visitors.
My first reaction when I saw it was that: “This is just a big house and not a castle.”
We were greeted by a very friendly and welcoming guy who introduced the history of the castle to us.
The entrance fee is expensive, in my opinion. It is $15 for a single castle, and a package price of $25 if you opt to see both Mac-A-Cheek and Mac-O-Chee. After we were told that Mac-A-Cheek is the smaller castle compared to Mac-O-Chee’s size, the other 2 visitors decided not to do the Mac-A-Cheek self-guided tour and then left. Basically, I was the only visitor that time who decided to pay $25!
1. Piatt’s Mac-A-Cheek Castle
Here’s the castle (or a mansion)! There is no designated parking space, so you can just park at the empty lot in front of the castle.
Construction of the stone mansion begun in 1864 by General Abram Sanders Piatt (1821-1908) and was finished in 1871. Named Mac-A-Cheek, the castle-like dwelling was home to Abram and his wife Eleanor, his younger children, domestic workers and farm laborers.
Not only a home, Mac-A-Cheek served as the hub of an evolving industrial, commercial and agricultural complex consisting of over 1000 acres of tenant farms, merchant and custom mills and metal working shops.
Mac-A-Cheek was the processing center for agricultural products: butter, cheese, meat, vegetables and fruit.
Following Abram’s death in 1908, his son William and wife Julia moved into Mac-A-Cheek where they supplemented their income by opening the house to tourists.
Mac-A-Cheek is still owned by members of the Piatt family who continue to regard it as “home.”
How to visit the Mac-A-Cheek castle?
Address: 10051 Township Rd 47, West Liberty, Ohio 43357
Hours: Open daily from 11AM to 5PM
See the Mac-A-Cheek castle in these 360-degree photos I took. Use your mouse to scroll and zoom through the photos.
2. Piatt’s Mac-O-Chee Castle
Here I was fortunate to meet and chat with the current owner of the two castles: Margaret Piatt. She is the great-great granddaughter of Abram Piatt. She was very accommodating and even invited me to join in one event she was organizing. And oh, she said that the next time I visit the castle with friends, I should let her know so I could get in for FREE! She then handed me her calling card.
Mac-O-Chee looks more of a “castle” than Mac-A-Cheek. It also sits atop a little hill, so it adds grandeur to the structure.
Mac-O-Chee is bigger in size compared to its brother Mac-A-Cheek, but it is deteriorating faster. You could visibly notice the crumbling walls and peeling hand-painted ceilings.
The Piatt family descended from France. They travel frequently to Europe and brought with them expensive items such as these:
Their books have been preserved in this library.
How to visit the Mac-O-Chee castle?
Address: 2319 OH-287, West Liberty, Ohio 43357
Hours: Open daily from 11AM to 5PM
See the Mac-O-Chee castle in these 360-degree photos I took. Use your mouse to scroll and zoom through the photos.
Another attraction nearby.
The Ohio Caverns is just few minutes away from the castles. It is the most colorful caverns in the State of Ohio. Check out the photos of the caverns here before visiting it.
See more travel search tags: Ohio Travel, Ohio, Western Ohio, Travel Western Ohio, Nature Preserve, Wright Brothers, Ohio Attractions, Things to See in Ohio, Unique Things To See in Ohio, Places to See in Ohio, Parks in Ohio
