A man determined to prove his English teacher wrong at age 15 went on to build a magnificent stone and stained glass castle in Rye, Colorado.
In 1959, Jim Bishop decided to drop out of high school after an argument with his teacher, who said he would “never amount to anything,” according to Castle officials. website.
That same year, Jim decided to purchase a five-acre piece of land for $450. He earned this by delivering newspapers, mowing lawns, and working with his father, Willard, in the family’s ornamental ironwork business.
He convinced his father and mother, Ma Polly, to let him use his savings to purchase the land, while they signed the land transaction.
After spending 10 summers building a family cabin on the land with his father, Jim soon felt the need to take on a more ambitious task and built a castle from the ground up in 1972.
Jim Bishop took 60 years to build Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado, after purchasing the two-and-a-half-acre plot of land in 1959 for $450. (photo: the steel dragon that he also built on top of the castle)
Jim (pictured) decided to drop out of high school after getting into an argument with his teacher who said he would “never amount to anything” until he pursued his vision
“It originally started out as a stone cottage, and you could come and see the stone work that he (Jim’s father) did,” said Dan Bishop, Jim’s son. Fox 31.
“Definitely a different style of rock work early on. My grandpa helped for about three years and when people said it looked like a castle, my dad decided to add something to it and my grandpa didn’t want anything to do with it,” he added.
Soon the one-room stone cottage that Jim built at the age of 25, after marrying his wife Phoebe, stood at the center of the sprawling castle that took him 60 years to build.
Jim built the impressive castle from scratch, with a ‘fireplace in the shape of an Eiffel Tower’ attached to the house.
Although people offered to help with the massive project, no one ever showed up to lend a hand, according to the website.
Jim decided to turn his frustration into motivation and built the castle he always dreamed of.
While building the castle near the “majestic” San Isabel National Forest in southern Colorado, Jim began to adopt “spontaneous” ideas for the structure as construction progressed.
While making extensions to his castle, Jim also developed a love of sports, setting up weights that he lifted after long days of working with mortar and stone.
After building a one-bedroom cottage on his land with his father, Jim decided to build his castle
Jim used his ironwork skills to create the railing for the intricate spiral staircase that is surrounded by thick pieces of stone
Jim was determined to achieve his ambition and ensured that every aspect of his life was in balance.
“The pursuit of balance became an ideal in his journey of self-improvement, evident in his brickwork, his body, and his mind,” the website states.
‘This approach allowed Jim to begin to visualize the next steps in construction and how everything would fit together on a large scale.’
Rather than working out the castle’s plan from blueprints, handwritten notes or sketches, Jim chose to illustrate his own book, ‘Castle Building from My Point of View’.
Jim chose to illustrate his own book, ‘Castle Building from My Point of View’, in which he described his 60-year process
The 47-page book describes in detail how he built the “awe-inspiring” bishop’s castle which he said was “built by one man with the help of God”.
Jim’s work included welding, bending the roll, cutting and sawing wood into blocks, lifting heavy stones, digging 12-foot holes, mixing mortar, and much more.
According to the website, Jim “treated each stone in the castle an average of six times” before finally placing it among the Rocky Mountain granite.
On the south side of the castle, Jim tested his ironworking skills when he installed iron arches and molding on the second floor.
He also used his skills to create the handrail for the intricate spiral staircase, which is surrounded by thick pieces of stone.
Jim accented the castle with beautiful, clear stained glass windows.
Jim decided to let visitors explore the beautiful structure for free
Jim accented the castle with beautiful and bright stained glass windows
As the castle grew bigger every day, Jim’s friends began suggesting that he use the building to make a profit, but he didn’t want others to pay to see his hard work.
Instead, the self-made builder began inviting people into the castle for free, letting them drop money into the donation box if they wanted.
His donation process left Jim feeling like he had created a “symbol of American freedom,” even as he grew frustrated that he didn’t have the money for larger projects at the castle.
Jim’s wife Phoebe then decided to set up the Bishop Castle Non-Profit Charitable Foundation for Newborn Heart Surgery, which helped them maintain the donation box on site.
The organization was founded to help local families without insurance pay the high medical bills of young children.
She also opened a gift shop for the castle in the log cabin, which she operated for 13 years.
In the mid-1980s, the castle went one step further and added a dragon made from pieces of stainless steel.
Jim soon began constructing the “scales” for the dragon statue by hand until the dragon was completed that spring.
Jim’s wife Phoebe started a non-profit organization on behalf of the castle that helps local families without insurance pay expensive medical bills for young children
The castle is also used for wedding ceremonies, which can be booked with a “suggested donation” of $500, according to the website
The dragon now sits 82 feet high next to the Grand Ballroom in the form of a chimney. The dragon was eventually given a fire feature that allowed it to breathe fire using a donated hot air balloon, the website explained.
Today, the three-story castle is filled with bridges, a grand ballroom, towers and spectacular views that have attracted endless tourists.
People can view Jim’s hard work for free and can explore the castle on their own as there are no guided tours offered.
There are more family-friendly activities around the castle, including camping, horse riding, hiking and dining.
The castle is also used for wedding ceremonies, which can be booked with a “suggested donation” of $500, according to the website.
