Laninga's Travel Blog

Back in the 1920’s, wealthy industrialist Boyce Thompson fell in love with Arizona.  Of course, owning a silver and copper mine in the area didn’t hurt, either.  In any case, he built a mansion in one of the nearby valleys.  The house took five years, and over a million dollars to build.  The grounds were extensively manicured, and desert plants from around the world graced the grounds.    Mr. Thompson spent large amounts of money to establish what became known as the Boyce Thompson Arboretum.  The grounds were donated to the state in the late 1920’s, and is now an Arizona State Park.

After his death, the house sat idle, and in 1946 was sold to a third party.  It served briefly as a bed and breakfast, but eventually sat empty again.  It was sold to the State Park in 2008, which currently maintains the building.  It is known as the Picket Post Mansion (because of the mountain behind it) as well as Castle on the Rocks.  For only the second time, it will be opened to the public this weekend.

Since we are volunteers at the Park, we had a chance to view the Mansion before it opened to the public.  The house, and grounds, are quite spectacular.  We wish we could have seen it during it’s glory days in the late 1920’s.

East entrance to the house. The bridge leads from the house to the tower (now gone) where Boyce Thompson liked to site and relax.

Main (front) entrance

The Arboretum (west) side

The view into the Arboretum

The ball room, with stained glass doors to the balcony

One of the many bedrooms

Master bathroom with heart shaped tub

Another of the bedrooms

Still more bedrooms

A finely detailed sink and cabinet

The large stove in the main kitchen