The Bay-Eva Castle Site Historical Marker

Imagine traveling to Bavaria and having the gumption to build a fairytale fortress of a castle-like the turreted treasures found there. That’s exactly what Dr. John Bay Jacobs, Sr. and his wife Eva Harris Jacobs did, breaking ground in 1938. Mrs. Jacobs reportedly drew out the plans for the castle while sitting on a tree stump in the rain under an umbrella.

The castle was a passion project, with additions continuing into the 1950s. Features included a 35-foot stone turret, stone walls that were 18 inches thick in some places, a slate roof, copper gutters, oak flooring, an indoor fish pond, a cast-iron spiral staircase, and a giant vault.

Eva Jacobs died in 1979, followed by Dr. Jacobs in 1988, after which the castle was deeded to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The property was later sold to a developer who intended to turn it into a community center, but bankruptcy befouled those plans and the house was foreclosed.

In the early 1990s, the castle served as a group house with one of its tenants being Catherine Robb, daughter of former Senator Chuck Robb.

Now, all that remains are the two columns, one that is etched with the name of the famous edifice, and the memories of those who experienced Bay-Eva Castle when it was still standing.