The "Beautiful Woman"

Gargoyle in front of Bonnyconnellan Castle, Sidney, Ohio.






On another one of our wanderings around the Ohio countryside we found ourselves in Sidney, Ohio and a couple of sites were noted on our Haunted Ohio map so we went in search. The first was this magnificent castle overlooking downtown. Depending upon the angle you come in from you can see its turrets as you approach. It must have been a grand home in its day and is still an imposing structure though it appears run down and gutted. The gates are locked so you can't get too close but from the street we could see a spiral iron staircase in the turret to the left. It is on Walnut Ave. There is a large brick carriage house in the back. Bonneyconnellan means the "beautiful woman."

The grand stair to the front door. Four gargoyle gaurdians.








The home was built in 1886 by John D. Loughlin, (1852-1902), supposedly patterned after a castle in County Cork, Ireland. John was the owner of the Sidney School Furniture Company and the Mary L. Poultry company. His furniture company manufactured school desks which at the height of production they were putting out 300 a day. The company also made blackboards and school bells amongst other things. 





His "Fashion Desk" was the first school desk produced.


He purchased the land in 1880, started construction in 1885 and it was completed in 1886. The front is stone and the back is brick. Interesting fact is that his father Timothy was a stone mason from Ireland.

On the Shelby County Historical Society site it states that the home had 22 rooms,

4 bathrooms and over 5,000 square feet of space. It had custom crafted hard wood floors in each room each out of a different wood, ornately carved bannisters, and a freestanding staircase that rose to the second floor. The interior sounded as if it was a typical Victorian over-the-top extravaganza of ornate features and decorations.

Unfortunately he sold the company in 1901 for a good profit but his chicken business led him to ruin and his castle and holdings were foreclosed upon by the German-American bank and he lost everything. He died in Philadelphia in 1902.  

The only mention of a ghost I could find was that it is haunted by a man in a blue uniform standing over a wedding dress. Ghosts aside hopefully someday someone will restore it to its former glory and fill its rooms and halls with life and laughter once again.