English Gothic Manor on American Lake
8601 N Thorne Ln SW, Lakewood, WA 98498
Age
Guests must be over the age of twelve to spend the night inside the main Castle
Cost
$$$$
Overnight rates vary by suite; reservations required 48 hours in advance.
Access
Limited Access
Historic estate with gardens; multiple stairs throughout the manor
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1908 · Gothic Tudor Architecture · Olmsted Brothers Gardens · Stephen King Filming Location · Pacific Northwest Estate · Tudor Gothic Architecture · Kirtland Cutter Design · Garden Club of America Recognition · Rose Red Filming Location
Chester A. Thorne, a founding partner of the Port of Tacoma and one of the wealthiest men in the Pacific Northwest, commissioned Thornewood Castle as a home for his wife Anna in 1908. He hired Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter, then known for his work in regional Tudor and English Country styles, to design what would become a 27,000-square-foot manor of forty rooms.
Thorne's ambitions extended beyond local materials. He purchased a 400-year-old Elizabethan estate in England, had its bricks, paneling, and stonework dismantled, and shipped the pieces around Cape Horn to Tacoma. These elements were integrated with new construction, producing a Gothic Tudor structure unique on the American west coast.
The surrounding grounds were developed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, known for Central Park and the Boston park system. Anna Thorne's sunken English garden, lakefront terraces, and formal hedges were laid out across approximately ten acres. Construction concluded in 1911 after roughly four years of work and an outlay reported at one million dollars, an extraordinary sum for a private residence at the time.
Following Chester Thorne's death in 1927, the estate passed through several private owners. It remained a private residence for most of the twentieth century before being converted into a bed and breakfast and event venue. The property is now operated as Thornewood Castle Inn & Gardens.
In 2001, Thornewood served as the principal filming location for Stephen King's ABC television miniseries Rose Red, which dramatized a fictional haunted house in Seattle. The Rimbauer family and the Rose Red mansion of the screenplay are entirely fictional and have no documented basis in regional history; the venue was selected for its visual and architectural suitability rather than any prior reputation.
Sources
Thornewood Castle's paranormal reputation is unusual in that it appears to postdate, rather than predate, its appearance in popular media. According to HistoryLink and several regional accounts, claims of apparitions, cold spots, and flickering lights surfaced in earnest after the 2002 ABC broadcast of Stephen King's Rose Red, for which the castle served as Rose Red itself.
Reports describe a woman in early-twentieth-century dress occasionally observed in or near the master bedroom, sometimes identified by visitors as Anna Thorne. Other accounts mention lights flickering without cause and the sense of being watched in the upper hallways. The owners, who live on the property, have publicly stated on the castle's FAQ that they do not believe the residence is haunted, and they treat the Rose Red association as a marketing curiosity rather than a paranormal claim.
The castle nonetheless attracts visitors interested in the King connection and the building's distinctive Gothic atmosphere. The grand staircase, the lakefront garden, and the dark-paneled main hall feature in much of the documentary photography of the property.
Media Appearances
Spend the night in a 27,000-square-foot Gothic Tudor manor built in 1908 from pieces of a 400-year-old Elizabethan house shipped from England. Reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance, and guests must be over twelve.
Garden tours and high tea events are scheduled periodically by the property. Call ahead to confirm availability; the castle does not accept walk-up visitors.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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