The Castle is in fact a Mansion that was built in Virginia City, Nevada in the 19th century. It is renowned for its clear similarities to a castle in France, and was considered one of the finest in the Wild West. Today, people flock to view it, learning the history of this exciting town and the things that were achieved by poor men when they entered the booming era of the gold and silver rushes.

Built in 1868 by Robert Graves, a Comstock visionary and founder, it came to symbolize the position he held as Empire Mine's superintendent. With a love of French chateau architecture, he designed and laid the foundations of a copy of a place found in Normandy. Starting in 1863 and ending in 1868, the construction of the home was the object of fascination even in those days, especially as it showed what mining wealth and dreams fulfilled could achieve for the average man.

In fact, many mining documents are still displayed in the Castle. The general day to day running of such a large facility was clearly no easy task. Records of gold and silver finds, production reports and other important items are very educational.

Interestingly enough, a total of twenty thousand ore claims are documented. With records of over thirty thousand inhabitants who were some how connected to the mine, the papers show a good picture of mining life in 19th century Nevada.