I received E-Mail that said:
I have been told that there is a castle in chattanooga, tn, on top of
lookout mountain that you can see from I-24. I have seen it in the past
but never could find out the name of it or what it now is. Last I heard
from someone who lived there it is called Alexin Brothers or Alexin
Village, but I could not find anything on the web about it. Is there
anyone out there that may have any more info or a picture? This is
driving me up the wall. I hear it was once a hotel where Elizabeth
Taylor and Richard Burton spent their honeymoon. It was a restuarant in
the 30's. I hear it is now a retirement home.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
I believe that the unknown castle on the hill is now the home of
Covenant College. It was once a hotel and referred to as Castle in the
Clouds. I went to college there many years ago, so am afraid my
pictures are not up to date. I am sure if you contacted the college
they would be happy to send you pictures and a brief history. Their
mailing address is: 14049 Scenic Highway Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
The "castle in the clouds" is on top of Lookout Mountain and it is just on the Georgia side ! I went to Covenant College in the 1970's and it is a lovely building although it is probaly closer to a Tudor style with is half-timebering element than a castle but it does have the tower and of course the name!! Below is one of the many legends about the place!
"A common local legend has existed for many years that movie star Elizabeth Taylor and her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher, once stayed at the Castle in the Clouds Hotel, the building that opened as the Lookout Mountain Hotel in 1928 and later became part of Covenant College." It was also notorious in the 1920's for gambling and booze, parts of the structure seemed built to hide illegal alcohol during prohibition! Rumors also tied it to Chicago mop money!! It is a beuatiful location on top of the mountain and you can see both sides at once!
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
There is a web-site which mentions the Castle in the Clouds being built in 1928 and having another name originally. I have some old pictures of it. Will try to locate them and see if I can forward them to you. We drove passed the place yesterday, and it appears the tower has been modified over the last 15 years. It no longer looks like the castle it used to be!
{{Castlefinder note!}} In my opinion, if this has had tower modifications, it may not quite qualify as a castle. It would be interesting to see a new photo.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
As a resident of the nearby Chattanooga areas for 52 yrs, I do know some things about Carter Hall.......now Covenant College........and formerly the Lookout Mountain Hotel..
It was a very popular hotel and night spot in the early 1900's......especially during the 1930's and thru the 1950's, it became increasingly popular.......Since Chattanooga and Hamilton County, Tenn were "dry", liquor could only be sold in private establishments....The Lookout Mountain Hotel was not only in the "county ", ot was also in Georgia........The hotel had red velvet carpeting throughout and heavy gold gilt floor candelabra, overstuffed velvet love seats and day beds/fainting couches which were auctioned off when the hotel went out of business in the early to mid 1960's.....And yes Eddie Fisher and Liz Taylor did have their honeymoon there...
The tower, which HAS NOT changed since it was erected, used to have the dome covered in gold gilt......when the early morning sun shone on it, one could see the gleam from miles away.......I was just a child then but one of the highlights of my day was looking at the gold of the Castle in the Clouds on my way to schools in Chattanooga.......Covenant College is a conservative Presbyterian College and my understanding is that tours of the facility are not possible, altho' each Christmas, there is a madrigal celebration (yule log and all) in the college dining room which was formerly the hotel ballroom........This part of the college, the former hotel, is now administrative offices and a few classrooms.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
Covenant College's admin building is NOT a castle........no battlements, turrets, secret panels/passages, no moat or drawbridge......The only thing that gives it a castle appearance is the tower and the fact that it is high above the valley wherein Chattanooga is located.......To residents of Chattanooga in the 30's, 40's, and 50's, seeing it from the valley gave the impression one was looking at a castle.
On 9-18-06, I received E-Mail that said:
I hope this helps answer questions about the Castle in the Clouds.
http://www.covenant.edu/visit/campus/helicopter.php
http://www.covenant.edu/
{{Castlefinder note!}}
Well, this pretty much settles it, this building is NOT a castle. I'll remove it from the webpage one of these days.
On 6-8-08, I received E-mail that said:
In the early 1960's before the Lookout Mountain Hotel (known as Castle in the Clouds) was sold to the Covenant College folks, my family lived on the grounds in the custodian's cottage. My father was hired as caretaker. I was in grammar school at the time. The decor inside reinforced the name of Castle in the Clouds. There was a large room known as the Knights of the Round Table. It contained a round table and knights in armor standing in the corners. This was my favorite room. I was also told Liz Taylor and Eddie Fisher stayed there during their honeymoon.
I have a picture postcard of an aerial view of it taken in the late 1950's, which I have kept all these years. I do not have a scanner or I would send to you. However, since it became Covenant College, so much reconstruction was done, it does not look anything like it did as the hotel. That is why most folks without the history of the place do not connect it to a castle.
On 9-15-11, I received e-mail that said:
While Carter Hall does not have a mote or battlements, it is falsely assumed on your page that there are no secret or underground passages. I have lived in the building for three years while attending Covenant, and it is well known to students, professors, and the administration that there are many underground tunnels running beneath the building. Though most of the entries of these passages have been filled in for the safety of the students, there are still traces and evidence for their existence, such as doorways leading to nowhere, and stairway banisters sticking up from the cemented floor. These tunnels are rumored to have been used during the prohibition to smuggle and hide moonshine, and it is believed that some of the tunnels run all the way to Rock City, about a mile away. While this may not change your decision to take the Castle in the Clouds down from your site, I did want to make the effort to clarify some misconceptions.
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