The Leary Castle, first planned and constructed by Tupper Lake resident Edward Leary, was an eccentric concept in theory and an engineering feat in reality. In 1987, Leary, along with masons Jim Bombard and his father, started work on the castle and kept building the concrete structure inside and out until he died in 2005.

When Leary’s sister Karen Watson showed his secret plans to Bombard after his death, the mason was shocked by the scale of the project. Bombard continued on to finish off what was needed to seal the castle off from the elements before becoming sick and dying in 2009.

Unfinished and waiting for a new, passionate mind to be entranced by its medieval beauty and massive workload, Leary Castle sat until later that year when Andy and Sherie Ramsgaurd purchased the lot and resumed construction. This sort of decision was not typical for the couple, but in the year before, they both had a reset in their lives. Sherie had survived breast cancer, and Andy had broken bones and punctured a lung in a biking accident. The castle was exactly what they needed to re-center themselves.

For seven-and-a-half years, they have put countless hours into completing, furnishing and decorating the castle, but one major piece had not yet been placed. Leary had received permission from the state Adirondack Park Agency to build up to 65 feet; the agency has review power over any construction higher than 40 feet in the park. The castle already stood 40 feet tall, and a tower seemed to be unnecessary, but in order to complete Leary’s plans for the structure, it had to be included.

Andy Ramsgaurd stands on a tower before it is hoisted to the top of his castle home. (Photo provided by Andy Ramsgaurd)

“We don’t really need a tower,” Andy said. ” But I really need to build this.”

The completion of the tower marks the fulfilling of Leary’s high hopes for the castle and was well worth the effort to the Ramsgaurds, who now have a 360-degree view of all the mountains.

Andy designed the tower. It is built from a timber frame around a steel structure and took around seven months of work from the whole family on the ground. It was constructed on a concrete slab right in front of where it was hoisted up onto the house in one swift crane movement Saturday.

Watching all their hard work spin in the wind as it traveled toward the top was tense, but the crane operators kept the tower safe, straight and intact as it set down on the roof of the castle. The tower bolts into the existing structure, attaching to a staircase which leads up from the original building.

“It’s the final cherry on top to finish what he started,” Andy said. “We didn’t write the beginning of the story, and we won’t write the end.”

Andy Ramsgaurd cheers as a crane sets a tower atop his castle home. (Photo provided by Andy Ramsgaurd)

Leary’s sister, who has visited the castle under the Ramsgaurd domain before, will visit again later in the summer to see the completed tower.

A lifelong mission, the castle will always be under renovation as Andy uses his architectural knowledge to play instead of work, designing, creating and installing all types of medieval replicas and furnishings. However, the major construction is done, and the castle structure is finally complete.

“I’m putting down my tools for a couple weeks,” Andy said. “Maybe a couple months.”

Though medieval castles are commonly known for bloody battles and political conspiracy, Andy and Sherie Ramsgaurd are more likely to be seen with other staples of castle life: their son Rex, whose name translates to “king” in Latin, and their daughter Ruby. Andy said his favorite part of the whole process was building everything alongside his family.

The family uses the castle as their second home, coming up to relax, enjoy the Adirondacks, show it off to friends and family, or just to sit in the basement “fungeon” and watch Robin Hood movies.

“Everyone is king of their own castle,” Andy said. “This one just happens to be an actual castle.”