Franklin Castle
Encyclopedia
Franklin Castle is a historical house located at 4308 Franklin Boulevard in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. The building has four stories and more than twenty rooms. It is purported to be the most haunted house
in Ohio
.
On March 15, 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
for Hannes Tiedemann, a German
immigrant. On January 16, 1881, Tiedemann's fifteen-year-old daughter Emma succumbed to diabetes. The house saw its second death not long afterwards when Tiedemann's elderly mother, Wiebeka, died. During the next three years the Tiedemanns would bury three more children, giving rise to speculation that there was more to the deaths than met the eye.
To distract his wife, Luise, from these tragedies, Tiedemann began extensive construction on the home, adding a ballroom which runs the length of the house in the fourth floor of the manor. Also during this building, turrets and gargoyles were added to the edifice's facade, giving the house an even more pronounced "castle" appearance.
It is rumored that there were hidden rooms and passageways that were used for bootlegging during Prohibition. Though rumored, none of these rooms or passageways exist other than a small stairway used by servants from the kitchen to the front door.
Luise Tiedemann died from a liver disease on March 24, 1895, at the age of fifty-seven. Hannes sold the house to the Mullhauser family, and by 1908 he and the entire Tiedemann family were dead, leaving no one to inherit his considerable personal wealth.
Rumors of crimes committed in the house by Tiedemann (including sexual indiscretions and murder) have contributed to Franklin Castle's reputation as a haunted house.
In early 1984, Michael DeVinko
purchased Franklin Castle and almost immediately started making major renovations to the house. Over the next ten years, DeVinko spent close to one million dollars renovating the Castle, even going so far as to track down some of the original furnishings for the Castle. Despite all this, DeVinko still decided to move out and put the house up for sale in 1994.
In 2004 there were rumors that the Franklin Castle was going to be completely renovated and turned into the Franklin Castle Club.. As of 2006, the entire club was proven to be a complete sham, no repairs had ever been made, and the pictures on the website were all either close-up shots of individual architecture, or pictures stolen from other websites.. No work had ever been done, no memberships had ever been sold, and there is also some evidence that the Castle had been used to shoot some pornography.
Franklin Castle will be on the market again as of September 2010. The city gave a 30-day condemnation window for repairs to be done or to make a request for more time. Charles Milsaps has one last chance to buy the property after his promises of renovation. Construction and lumber companies have filed liens for bills Mr. Milsaps didn't pay, as well as back taxes.
Mr. Milsaps has been ordered by the current owner's lawyer to stop giving tours of the property.
It has been announced as of July 2011 that the Franklin Castle has been rezoned to allow it to become a 3 family dwelling, and that a sale is pending. The buyer, who has remained unnamed, wants to renovate the building into a home with two additional rental spaces.
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
On March 15, 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Early history
The house was built in 1865 by architects Cudell & RichardsonCudell & Richardson
Cudell & Richardson was an architecture partnership of Frank E. Cudell and John N. Richardson active from 1871 to 1890. The Cleveland, Ohio-based firm designed numerous commercial buildings and churches. A number of these are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.Works...
for Hannes Tiedemann, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigrant. On January 16, 1881, Tiedemann's fifteen-year-old daughter Emma succumbed to diabetes. The house saw its second death not long afterwards when Tiedemann's elderly mother, Wiebeka, died. During the next three years the Tiedemanns would bury three more children, giving rise to speculation that there was more to the deaths than met the eye.
To distract his wife, Luise, from these tragedies, Tiedemann began extensive construction on the home, adding a ballroom which runs the length of the house in the fourth floor of the manor. Also during this building, turrets and gargoyles were added to the edifice's facade, giving the house an even more pronounced "castle" appearance.
It is rumored that there were hidden rooms and passageways that were used for bootlegging during Prohibition. Though rumored, none of these rooms or passageways exist other than a small stairway used by servants from the kitchen to the front door.
Luise Tiedemann died from a liver disease on March 24, 1895, at the age of fifty-seven. Hannes sold the house to the Mullhauser family, and by 1908 he and the entire Tiedemann family were dead, leaving no one to inherit his considerable personal wealth.
Rumors of crimes committed in the house by Tiedemann (including sexual indiscretions and murder) have contributed to Franklin Castle's reputation as a haunted house.
Middle years
The house remained largely unoccupied until January 1968, when James Romano, his wife, and six children settled in the long abandoned building. The Romano family reported several encounters with ghosts in their new home, and attempted exorcisms and even had a now defunct ghost-hunting group (the Northeast Ohio Psychical Research Society) investigate the castle. By 1974, the Romanos decided to leave the house, and sold it to Sam Muscatello, who planned to turn the castle into a church. To raise money for the church, tours and overnight stays at the castle were offered.In early 1984, Michael DeVinko
Mickey Deans
Mickey Deans a musician and entrepreneur, was the fifth and last husband of Judy Garland.-Early life:Born Michael DeVinko in Garfield, New Jersey, on September 24, Deans was a discothèque manager....
purchased Franklin Castle and almost immediately started making major renovations to the house. Over the next ten years, DeVinko spent close to one million dollars renovating the Castle, even going so far as to track down some of the original furnishings for the Castle. Despite all this, DeVinko still decided to move out and put the house up for sale in 1994.
Recent history
Ownership of the castle has changed hands frequently in the past thirty years. In 1999 a vagrant set a fire which badly damaged the castle. The carriage house was damaged in a March 2011 fire.In 2004 there were rumors that the Franklin Castle was going to be completely renovated and turned into the Franklin Castle Club.. As of 2006, the entire club was proven to be a complete sham, no repairs had ever been made, and the pictures on the website were all either close-up shots of individual architecture, or pictures stolen from other websites.. No work had ever been done, no memberships had ever been sold, and there is also some evidence that the Castle had been used to shoot some pornography.
Franklin Castle will be on the market again as of September 2010. The city gave a 30-day condemnation window for repairs to be done or to make a request for more time. Charles Milsaps has one last chance to buy the property after his promises of renovation. Construction and lumber companies have filed liens for bills Mr. Milsaps didn't pay, as well as back taxes.
Mr. Milsaps has been ordered by the current owner's lawyer to stop giving tours of the property.
It has been announced as of July 2011 that the Franklin Castle has been rezoned to allow it to become a 3 family dwelling, and that a sale is pending. The buyer, who has remained unnamed, wants to renovate the building into a home with two additional rental spaces.