Stokes Castle, a three-story granite tower, was built for Anson Phelps Stokes, who was the driving force behind the Nevada Central Railroad and Austin's mining industry.

Stokes modeled his romantic summer home on a family painting of a tower in the Roman Campagna, and he sited it on a prominence with sweeping views of the Reese River Valley. The Castle featured balconies cantilevered on railroad rails (the rails survive), plate-glass picture windows, a castellated parapet, and a rooftop terrace once shaded by a suspended canvas awning. The floors in the simply detailed interior were removed years ago to deter intruders.

Anson Phelps Stokes, his sons, a Chinese cook, and guests occupied the Castle on several occasions in 1897 and 1898. For much of the twentieth century the Castle was boarded up and subjected to deterioration and vandalism.

Threatened with removal to the Las Vegas Strip after 1950, it was saved by Stokes relative Molly Knudtsen and today stands as a testimony to her foresight.

Source: NRHP Nomination Form for Stokes Castle