My parents took me here nearly forty years ago. I was too young to remember anything about it, except that it seemed to be a long drive to get to. I recently read about how it still existed, even though it's been closed for decades. So when, during a drive to a hike in High Point State Park, we drove through Hamburg and saw the sign for Ginger Bread Castle Road (!), we decided to make a quick stop to see if we could get a few photos.

A large hand-scrawled sign shouting "KEEP OUT! Trespassers will be Arrested! No Exceptions!" caused us to stay near the street, though there was clear access into the castle grounds. The abandoned Wheatsworth Mill next door was in total disrepair, with every window broken. Driving back from our short excursion I wondered how cool it would be to go back to 1970 to see the Castle bustling with little kids shaking with excitement, being led by their moms sporting huge puffy hairdos. If only ...

Here are some related links:

• Joseph Urban's Gingerbread Castle
• Gingerbread Castle Digital Library
• DuPont Castle.com
• Glass, Steel & Stone
• Roadside America