Knapp's Castle
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Aerial-KnappCastle.jpg/250px-Aerial-KnappCastle.jpg)
Knapp's Castle is a landmark ruined mansion in the Santa Ynez Mountains near Santa Barbara, California. Located near Camino Cielo Road in the Los Padres National Forest, the ridge-top site has a panoramic view of Lake Cachuma and the Santa Ynez Valley. It is a popular destination for hikers and photographers and is also the meeting place of a group of drummers and dancers on every full moon.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Ruins_and_the_valley.jpg/200px-Ruins_and_the_valley.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Knapps_Castle.jpg/250px-Knapps_Castle.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Knapp%27s-Castle-Sunset-Pano-4.jpg/250px-Knapp%27s-Castle-Sunset-Pano-4.jpg)
History
George Owen Knapp, founder of Union Carbide, built Knapp's Castle shortly after purchasing the 160-acre (0.65 km2) parcel in 1916. In 1940, Frances Holden bought the property and invited her friend, world-famous opera singer Lotte Lehmann, to move in. The mansion was destroyed by a forest fire only five weeks later, and now only the massive sandstone foundations, fireplace pillars and walls of the original seven structures remain intact. The parcel is still privately owned but open to the public.