About Sir Harry And the KOGT

 

Harry Delos Andrews April 5th 1890 - April 16th 1981

Harry objected to modern warfare - killing at a distance. He preferred sword-to-sword medieval combat. He served as a medic in World War I, contracted spinal meningitis, and was declared dead in 1918. By the time that he was declared undead -- six months later -- his fiancé had married another man. Harry seemed not to have minded, he stayed in Europe, visiting castles. He veered away from women, period. Having more than 50 marriage proposals later in life, he turned all of them down!

Did You Know Harry....

 

•   Drafted and served in the Army during WWI as a medic. He didn't object to war itself, he didn't like the weapons of modern warfare. So, Harry enlisted as a nurse.

• Was the oldest living Notary Public in Ohio...and he never charged more than a quarter for his service.

• Was a well published author, including a guide book he wrote at the bequest of the U.S. Immigration Department to aid those seeking citizenship. A copy of which is on display at the castle.

• Graduated from Colgate University.

• Also made the road you take down to the castle. Buses cannot make it down this road still today!

• Grew vegetables year round in hotbeds of his own design. They were heated by railroad lanterns!

• Hid his secret room in the garden. The entrance was one of the arches in the arch wall. It was only discovered after it collapsed from years of neglect...Even the knights didn't know it was there!

• Had an amazing 189 I.Q.

 

All About the Knights of the Golden Trail

The history of the Knights of the Golden Trail, KOGT, is almost as fascinating as the Castle itself. The castle actually can be considered an afterthought, incredible as that seems. In the early 1920's one of Harry Andrews pet projects was his Sunday School / Boy Scout troop. He had a dozen or so boys that met regularly for Sunday School and Boy Scout activities. One of their favorite things was camping. As it happened; years ago the Cincinnati Enquirer, a local newspaper, had a promotion to establish a greater subscription base. If a person paid for a one year subscription in full, they received a plot of land on the banks on the Little Miami River in Loveland. Two of Harry's scouts, it turned out, had parents that took advantage of the Enquirer's offer and the donated the lots to Harry and his scouts. Harry and his scouts became regular visitors to the banks of the Little Miami. So much so that they took to leaving their gear at the campsite. But, between the elements, the wild animals and even people that stumbled upon their cache, their equipment constantly came out missing, damaged or unusable. Finally Harry had an idea, he would build two stone tents, to house their equipment and to provide shelter. If you have ever been a Scout you already know that each individual group, known as a troop, gave themselves appropriate names. Bears, Lions, Warriors are all typical examples. Harry's troop was named the Knights of the Golden Trail. Now standing back admiring the stone tents he had built for his Knights, it is easy to imagine Harry's 189 IQ clicking away...his Knights deserved a real Castle. The KOGT celebrated it's 75th Anniversary in February 2002!     KOGT Fun Facts....

• Knights still guard the Castle to this day.

• The Knights refuse to be part of pollution happening in the Little Miami River. They have been green for a long time before it was "Cool" to be green!

• Every member of the Knights of the Golden Trail consider it an honor to carry on the traditions started years ago.

• Sir Harry willed the castle and grounds to the knights upon his death at age 91 in 1981.

lovelandcastle

Like a vibrant pink waterfall, Ohio native Bush Cl

Stop by to visit our pollinator gardens and enjoy

#lovelandcastle #lovelanddogs

Spring coming

February 17 2018

Load More... Follow us on Instagram