Located just three-quarters of a mile from one another, the castles known collectively as the Piatt Castles were built by a pair of French Huguenot descended brothers who wanted to bring some baronial splendor to the Ohio wilderness.    

Built in the early 1800’s in a (at the time much more) rural area of Ohio, the duo of mansions, known respectively as “Mac-O-Chee” and “Mac-A-Cheek,” were built by Don and Abram Piatt, settlers who had made their fortune in Cincinnati. Mac-O-Chee castle is older, larger, and in slightly more disrepair than the other, but in their day both of the homes were unusually gorgeous examples of old world architecture. Each of the buildings was decked out in rich, intricate woodwork, painted ceilings and even indoor water closets, a luxurious innovation at the time.

Once the original owners passed away, their eccentric homes and the collection of artifacts within were opened as small museums, a state in which they are maintained and preserved today. The Piatt castles are still open for tours and are now a popular location for weddings and events, despite the original 1800s bathrooms.