Jared and Gabe coming to get me.
Here is little closer shot of that area on the front of the Castle. Junior asked me what I thought
of the red and black paint scheme? I told him I liked it very much. He said he was just in the process of sprucing things up with the paint job.
Here is the first glimpse of the side of the Castle. I had decided to work my way round it clockwise fashion.
Here is a view of the back side of that rounded portion of the castle.
I like the vines overgrowing it. The Summer vegetation really adds
a pretty touch to the place.
Here is another close up shot of one of the little alcoves along the walls.
Not everything is neat and some stuff doesn't even look like it belongs there.
The childs shape shorter toy, the plastic basket and the Tidy Cat litter bucket for example.
Above is a pile of left over roof shingles by a flower bed.
The detail in this wall panel is quite pretty. He has used all manner of tools
and geegaws to build this place and deck it out.
Gabe sitting down on the job. He is being silly.
Once you arrive at this point where all the beautiful blue glass bottles are in the wall you must turn
right to continue along the back of the Castle.
Above is a look at some of the castle ramparts. He has got a lot of architectural work in this
thought it is very freestyle. To the bottom right you can see little Gabe walking along.
The tall plants just ahead of him are a patch of Sweet corn. Junior planted okra, corn and
other veggies in a little garden along here. Very nice.
The Castle sits on what I think is called a 'cape" or a piece of land that is open on three sides.
This one looks like a slender finger of land jutting south toward Tellico Lake in the distance.
It does sit higher than the surrounding terrain. It is built in a residential area, but most of what I saw around it are abandoned or very delapidated but occupied homes.
Abandoned building that sits behind the garden area. Not sure what this was. I will try to remember
to ask Junior on any future visits.
Above: a very old pear tree grew in the garden here. It is a close up of the pears.
They are not ripe yet, but even when they are they will not be the pretty, cosmetically perfect pears like you see in grocery stores.
Above.. Kenny has met back up with us in the area near the blue bottles. Look how he has to duck to enter this archway!
Junior has at least two mock up cannons in his yard. I like this one. It is built
facing the point of the cape of land. If all this tangle of trees and weeds was not there
the terrain would be open to reveal it is protecting the high ground where the structure sits!
so in this way .. this cannon set up is how one would really be
set up to protect an actual fortification. Seize the high ground!
Another question I did not ask that will have to wait for another visit:
Was the area of trees and weeds ever clear and open?
A better look at the cannon. Piles of ammo nearby. The enemy could not see you nor you them with all that brush in the way!
A more open view of the rear courtyard of the Castle. it is a pretty spot.
On around the way you come to a gaol area. Junior warned me not to let the manequin startle me.
He said he put it there to discourage teenage partiers and he leaves a light on inside at night
for the same reason. He doesn't want visitors prowling round at night. Who could blame him?
Above is another little vignette area along the walls. It is tiled with pictures of cartoon characters.
The items in the garden bed below are also cartoon character figures and toys.
Another gate area that has watchful eyes and knights!
Another back courtyard area very overgrown with vegetation.
This is a mantle/fireplace area. It is in a room with an open ceiling at the back.
Above: Some blurbs about U Tube and some "unknown" science.
Fact check. I don't know what is meant by "250 stories" relating to U tube.
Maybe there is a U tube I am unaware of.A search of YouTube on the other hand did not
reveal 250 videos or stories about the Greenback Castle. It found about thirty three
videos relating to it. It appears at least two of those are duplicates. Many of them focus on
the paranormal and hauntings that I consider utter nonsense. A great number of them
are about Junior's faith in God and to me that negates the possibility of any force of
evil. Any place where a child of God loves and worships is not going to be grounds for
evil to exist or stick around. Another question I plan to ask Junior on an subsequent visits:
Do you believe this place is haunted or evil?
Should he answer yes I will ask him how that can be if it belongs to the Almighty as he told me it did.
As for the buoyance and gravity being the same force. They are related, but they are NOT the same force. One counter balances the other and when buoyancy is overcome by an objects weight.. gravity wins!
Don't know whose idea that UP must exist for gravity to exist as of 11/17/17.
This is another missive. Gravity can act upon something in side to side attraction. Up doesn't have to exist first.
The bit as of 4/18/18 about Down not existing... true that directions are human concepts created to make sense of our world, but beyond that I don't know what to say of it. Out in the universe
directions do not exist in the same way as we use them on earth as frames of reference.
As for the blurb in the middle about the gravity equation--No.
Here is the equation for gravity g = GM/r2
The inscription on this frieze says "welcome to the real world" it is pretty funny.
The round room where the spiral staircase is.
Looking up in the top part of the rotunda
Floor of the rotunda is only partial.
Kenny going back down the stairs from the round room.
The downstairs part of the rotunda.
Ceiling of the rotunda. Beautiful craftsmanship.
Stairs that spiral to the top.
One area along the back side of the Castle. Gabe running in and out of doors exploring. He is loving this spooky, quirky old place!
Looking up through the trees at the ramparts of one of the rotundas. A pretty scene.
This area along the back of the castle is the pet cemetery area.
Above: row of headstones with names on them. I did not ask what they are supposed to be, but Lynn Harrison calls it the Pet Cemetery. That may be exactly, literally what it is.
Along this back wall there are lots of detailed panels with rock work. Each one is different.
Pet cemetery area continues with ledges and panels inlaid with stones and shells.
The most spooky panel at Pet Cemetery.. the skull and arrows panel.
In one of the alcoves along the back wall is a sitting area with a chess game all laid out.
The next alcove is like an altar area for praying. It is very pretty.
The primary message of the Castle is a great one.
One alcove along the back has glass insulators and a buddha head. I want to ask Junior
why a Christian would display a graven image?
Back on the beautiful grassy front lawn at the Castle. Jared, Gabe and Kenny
The two rotundas are connected by a very rickety looking wooden bridge! I don't know if I'd cross that or not.
All in all our visit to the Castle was fun and very interesting. I am glad we went. I feel like I missed several rooms in it though. I want to return when it is just me so I can be more systematic and take my time. It has far too much detail and the lay out is a little odd. It lies on this cape less than two miles from Tellico Lake.
Looking at it from satellite view it is simple shape. It forms a capital L with the long leg of the L toward the front away from the lake and the short leg of the L on the end toward the east. Junior Banks has put a ton of effort into making his dream a reality. I've never visited anywhere like it before. My favorite crime/mystery show ever was the very first season of True Detective starring
Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. It was set in rural Louisiana and was based on facts from two true crime stories. It was like H.P. Lovecraft stories come to life on the screen or Ambrose Bierce. It reminded me of the terrifying and bizarre plantation ruins in True Detective. I thought I'd found Carcosa when I was at Greenback Castle. It is not scary to me, but it is delightfully weird!
Above: the scene in True Detective where Rust Cohle and Martin Hart happen upon Carcosa while searching for the King in Yellow.. the serial killer.
I look forward to not only returning to the castle, but expanding my explorations in this vicinity.
I was checking out the maps and satellite views of this place when I realized how close it was to Sequoyah's Birth Place, Ft. Loudon historic park and a place seen on the map is McGhee Carson Peninsula State Historic Park. I had never even heard of the last one. Doing some further digging
about that McGhee Carson state park I learned that it is an abandoned state park! It is still owned by
the state of Tennessee, but it is used as food plots for wildlife now. I'll go over there to see it for myself.
Directions to Greenback Castle:
From U.S. Hwy 411 go 3.5 miles north of the bridge over the Little Tennessee River and turn right (East) onto North Trigonia Road. Drive 0.7 miles on Trigonia Rd and turn left onto Lee Shirley Rd.
Drive 0.2 miles and as you top a hill turn right into a gravel driveway. There is a sign at the end painted saying "Castle~~>" The castle is at the end of the driveway.
From Dollar General in Greenback it is 1 mile south on Hwy 411 to a LEFT turn onto North Trigonia Road.
Drive 0.7 miles and turn left onto Lee Shirley Rd. Drive 0.2 miles and turn right into a gravel driveway as you top the hill.
PLEASE follow directions carefully and check your Google maps before setting off. I have cleared these directions up to reflect North Trigonia Road. I made a mistake in the previous set and people were trying to drive on a residents farm use only road. My apologies. Only trying to help, but I am fallible.
No admission/ Bring along a donation for the box.
Hours: Ok to visit from 8:30 a.m. to dusk. Ok to visit whether Mr. Banks is there or not per the man himself.
