Franklin Castle

The house was built in 1881-1883 by the famed architectural firm of Cudell & Richardson for Hannes Tiedemann, a prosperous German immigrant.{{cite book |last=Belanger |first=Jeff |authorlink=Jeff Belanger |title=Encyclopedia Of Haunted Places: Ghostly Locales From Around The World |publisher=Career Press |year=2005 |pages=128 |isbn=1-56414-799-1}}

On January 15, 1881, Tiedemann's fifteen-year-old daughter Emma succumbed to diabetes.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} The property saw its second death not long afterwards when Tiedemann's elderly mother, Wiebeka, died.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} 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.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

To distract his wife, Louise, from these tragedies, Tiedemann began extensive construction on the home, adding a ballroom which runs the length of the house on the fourth floor of the manor.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} 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 hidden rooms and passageways were used for bootlegging during Prohibition.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} Though rumored, none of these rooms or passageways exist other than a small stairway used by servants from the kitchen to the front door.

Louise Tiedemann died from a liver disease on March 24, 1895, at the age of fifty-seven. The next year, 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.{{cite book |last1=Mueller |first1=Werner Diebolt |last2=Gardiner |first2=Duncan B. |title=To Cleveland and Away: Of Muellers, Reids, and Others |publisher=W.D. Mueller |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bx45AAAAMAAJ&q=hannes| year=1993 |page=156}}

From 1921 to 1968 the house functioned as a home to various German and cultural organizations. Human bones were found in a closet in 1975 but it's believed they were planted by the new owner looking to gain publicity for his ghost tours of the property.{{cite web| title=Franklin Castle| url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/franklin-castle| website=Atlas Obscura| accessdate=August 19, 2018}}

In 1982, the location was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In early 1984, Michael DeVinko, Judy Garland's fifth and last husband, 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 put the house up for sale in 1994.

File:Hannes Tiedemann House.JPG

There have been a series of owners in the past thirty years. The castle was empty from 1994 until in 1999, Michelle Heimburger bought the castle and carriage house for $350,000 using part of her Yahoo! stock windfall as one of the company's early employees. A native Clevelander, Heimburger was fascinated with the home and purchased it with intentions of restoring the building to its former glory.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ghostsofohio.org/lore/ohio_lore_13.html |title=The Ghosts of Ohio - Lore & Legends in Ohio - Franklin Castle |access-date=2017-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714043548/http://www.ghostsofohio.org/lore/ohio_lore_13.html |archive-date=2017-07-14 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |first=Michael K. |last=McIntyre |title=Condemned Franklin Castle is sold, may have new life yet |url=http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2011/10/condemned_frankin_castle_is_so.html |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland |date=October 2, 2011 |accessdate=October 31, 2014}}Vindu Goel, [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/17/technology/when-yahoo-ruled-the-valley-stories-of-the-original-surfers.html When Yahoo Ruled the Valley: Stories of the Original ‘Surfers’], The New York Times, July 16, 2016, accessed July 18, 2016. Unfortunately, that same year, a fire badly damaged the castle. Though extensive repairs were done, the house restoration could not be completed.{{cite journal |first=Jim |last=Dubelko |title=Tiedemann House |url=https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/531 |accessdate=August 8, 2017 |website=Cleveland Historical}}

In 2004 there were rumors that Franklin Castle was going to be completely renovated and turned into the Franklin Castle Club.{{cite web |title=Franklin Castle Club |url=http://www.franklincastleclub.com/index.html |access-date=2011-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803214018/http://franklincastleclub.com/index.html |archive-date=2011-08-03 |url-status=dead }} Around this time, though, the exterior stone of the building was cleaned and the parapet, on the left side of the facade, was rebuilt according to the 19th-century design.

The property was damaged again in March 2011 when the carriage house was damaged in a fire.{{cite news |first=Ted |last=Kortan |title=Franklin Castle property catches fire again |url=http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/franklin-castle-property-catches-fire |publisher=WEWS-TV News |location=Cleveland |date=March 22, 2011 |accessdate=April 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110327174055/http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/franklin-castle-property-catches-fire |archive-date=March 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}

It was announced in July 2011 that the Franklin Castle had been rezoned to allow it to become a three-family dwelling, and that a sale was pending.{{cite news |first=Ted |last=Kortan |title=Haunted Franklin Castle: Sale Pending, Renovation Planned |url=http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/haunted-franklin-castle-sale-pending-renovation-planned |work=WEWS-TV News |date=July 20, 2011 |accessdate=August 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721210731/http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/haunted-franklin-castle-sale-pending-renovation-planned |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}

European tapestry artist Chiara Dona Dalle purchased Franklin Castle in 2011 for $260,000.{{cite news| title=Condemned Franklin Castle is sold, may have new life yet: Michael K. McIntyre's Tipoff| url=http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2011/10/condemned_frankin_castle_is_so.html| last=McIntyre| first=Michael K.| date=January 23, 2018| newspaper=The Plain Dealer}} The Cleveland Building & Housing Department issued a permit for residential exterior alterations in February 2012.{{cite news| title=Ohio City's historic Franklin Castle renovations underway| url=https://www.news5cleveland.com/lifestyle/ohio-citys-historic-franklin-castle-renovations-underway| last=Kortan| first=Ted| date=October 29, 2013| work=WEWS TV News| accessdate=August 19, 2018| archive-date=August 20, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820074847/https://www.news5cleveland.com/lifestyle/ohio-citys-historic-franklin-castle-renovations-underway| url-status=dead}} Local news sources have reported that the buyer intends to convert the building into three family homes and dwelling in two of the spaces.

Following several years of historic renovations, the owners announced single-night accommodations were available for guests on December 24, 2022.{{cite news| title=Cleveland Franklin Castle spend the night| url=https://fox8.com/news/franklin-castle-clevelands-most-haunted-house-opens-for-overnight-stays/| last=Unger| first=Jordan| date=December 27, 2022| work=WJW TV News| accessdate=December 27, 2022}}

On March 18, 2016, the reality TV series Paranormal Lockdown featured the Franklin Castle in the third episode of its first season.{{cite journal| title=Paranormal Lockdown: Judy Garland's Husband Owned Franklin Castle| url=http://2paragraphs.com/2017/02/paranormal-lockdown-judy-garlands-husband-owned-franklin-castle/| journal=2paragraphs| date=February 10, 2017}}{{cite news| title=Haunting of Franklin Castle investigated on TV for first time ever| url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/haunting-of-franklin-castle-investigated-on-tv-for-first-time-ever/88628593| last=Haidet| first=Ryan| date=March 18, 2016| work=WKYC News| accessdate=August 19, 2018}}

On March 5, 2020, Franklin Castle was featured on the second episode of Season 23 of Ghost Adventures which aired on the Travel Channel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/franklin-castle|title = Franklin Castle}}

On November 19, 2020, Franklin Castle was featured on episode four Season 2 of The Holzer Files which aired on the Travel Channel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/holzer-files/episodes/final-word|title = Final Word}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.prairieghosts.com/oh-frank.html Franklin Castle: The Most Haunted House In Ohio?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405112922/http://www.prairieghosts.com/oh-frank.html |date=2008-04-05 }}
• [http://www.deadohio.com/franklincastle.htm Franklin Castle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216231531/http://www.deadohio.com/franklincastle.htm |date=2008-02-16 }}
• [http://cleveland.about.com/od/clevelandhistory/ss/hauntedclev_3.htm Haunted Cleveland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080105215819/http://cleveland.about.com/od/clevelandhistory/ss/hauntedclev_3.htm |date=2008-01-05 }}
• [http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=TH1 Encyclopedia of Cleveland History]
• National Register of Historic Places, Franklin Castle [https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail?assetID=dd1e8ddf-e632-4cfe-bbed-9f211688b124]

{{National Register of Historic Places}}

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Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio

Category:Queen Anne architecture in Ohio

Category:Houses completed in 1881

Category:Houses in Cleveland

Category:Reportedly haunted locations in Ohio

Category:German-American culture in Cleveland

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Cleveland, Ohio

Category:Ohio City, Cleveland

Category:1881 establishments in Ohio