Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins

Camdenton, MO - Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins - Construction of the Ha Ha Tonka castle was started in 1905 by Robert McClure Snyder, Sr., a Kansas City businessman who purchased the large property. Alluding to the natural springs on the property, "ha ha tonka" was said to mean "big laugh" or "smiling waters." Following Snyder's death in an auto accident in 1906, the castle was completed by his sons Robert, Jr., LeRoy, and Kenneth Snyder in the late 1920s before the Stock Market Crash. The building was used as a summer and weekend home by the Snyder family, who lived in Kansas City. In the late 1930s it was used as a hotel, but was destroyed by fire in 1942. The state purchased the castle and grounds in 1978, adapting them for use as a state park and opening them to the public. The water tower was repaired in 2004, with a new roof installed. Although the castle walls were stabilized in the 1980s, a new survey in 2016 determined that portions of the ruins including its arches were seeing mortar and stone failure with the potential beginning of collapse. Some areas have been closed off from the public. The ruins can be seen from an observation point across from the park office. [Wiki]

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