Nan26 Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Hello...ran across this forum while searching for some info. on the following:My husband and I recently visited the Houston area and we were out and about. We found the Pignataro Estate in Hitchcock and took some photos (love the horse statue). I found some basic info. on the Estate itself but my mother-in-law, who use to live in the area, says there was some movie filming done there and also mentioned some murders that occured at this location. I have been searching for days for any info on either "story". Can anyone fill me in or direct me to more info?Love your site......Houston is the largest city I have ever visited (in many years of travel) and I was so fasicinated with it plus all of that wonderful history I have read about over the years. I will keep up with the forums but I can be contacted at ms.sdrose@hotmail.com. (Even if what I have heard are just "ghost stories"- please let me know)...Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isuredid Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 This is from the Galveston Daily News, September 20, 1981:Santa Fe castlefull of mysteryNestled in a grove of pecantrees in the small community ofSanta Fe is a landmark that hasamazed motorists travelingHighway 6 between Galvestonand Alvin for many years.Incongruous as it seems, therestands a stately castle that conjuresup visions of Lancelot andGuinevere, knights and dragonsand the mystical days of yore.Only the steady hum of trafficoutside the castle gates disclaimsthe illusion of ancienttime's.Santa Fe has practically asmany legends about the castle asEngland has about King Arthur,but it is doubtful any of them aretrue.One of the more romanticstories maintains that a wealthyTexan had the castle dismantledand imported from Europe, thenreassembled at its present locationas a haven for his mistress.According to another fancifultale, an eccentric woman builtthe house to live out a childhoodfantasy. As the story goes, shenever actually resided there, butvisited the castle for a few hourseach week.Actually, the complete storymay never be known, since theoriginal owners are dead. But,according to Galveston Countydeed records and people familiarwith the property, the castle'shistory began with a man fromDenmark by the name of JohnChristensen.A r e m a r k a b l e m a n .Christensen came the the UnitedStates in 1891 with assets totaling$16 and no knowledge of theEnglish language. He worked onthe Galveston docks and savedas much of his money as possible.In 1899, he bought a bicycleshop which eventually becamethe first Ford automobiledealership on the island, JohnChristensen and Co., later knownas A.J. Rasmussen and Sons.Christensen's obituary in theDec. 15, 1934 edition of TheGalveston Daily News statesthat his hobby was farming the70-acre tract of land in AltaLoma that is the present site ofthe castle.He is credited with contributinga great deal to the bettermentof working conditions onthe mainland. It is said he invitedfarmers from all over thecounty to his Alta Loma farm fora demonstration of the first Fordtractor.In 1930, he retired from hisbusiness and devoted most of theremaining four years of his lifeto farming.Christensen had been awidower since the death of hisfirst wife in 1912. In 1930, hemarried NMeska Vogel, to whomhis left his beloved farm.It was she who would build thecastle.Many people believe Mrs.Christensen built the castle intendingto give it to the Catholicchurch as a retirement home foraged nuns. When the church didnot desire the property for thatpurpose, she elected to make ither home.The exact date of the castle'sconstruction is uncertain. Accordingto Lawrence Henckle ofHenckle Lumber Co., constructi o n b e g a n soon a f t e rChristensen's death Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan26 Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 This is from the Galveston Daily News, September 20, 1981:Santa Fe castlefull of mysteryNestled in a grove of pecantrees in the small community ofSanta Fe is a landmark that hasamazed motorists travelingHighway 6 between Galvestonand Alvin for many years.Incongruous as it seems, therestands a stately castle that conjuresup visions of Lancelot andGuinevere, knights and dragonsand the mystical days of yore.Only the steady hum of trafficoutside the castle gates disclaimsthe illusion of ancienttime's.Santa Fe has practically asmany legends about the castle asEngland has about King Arthur,but it is doubtful any of them aretrue.One of the more romanticstories maintains that a wealthyTexan had the castle dismantledand imported from Europe, thenreassembled at its present locationas a haven for his mistress.According to another fancifultale, an eccentric woman builtthe house to live out a childhoodfantasy. As the story goes, shenever actually resided there, butvisited the castle for a few hourseach week.Actually, the complete storymay never be known, since theoriginal owners are dead. But,according to Galveston Countydeed records and people familiarwith the property, the castle'shistory began with a man fromDenmark by the name of JohnChristensen.A r e m a r k a b l e m a n .Christensen came the the UnitedStates in 1891 with assets totaling$16 and no knowledge of theEnglish language. He worked onthe Galveston docks and savedas much of his money as possible.In 1899, he bought a bicycleshop which eventually becamethe first Ford automobiledealership on the island, JohnChristensen and Co., later knownas A.J. Rasmussen and Sons.Christensen's obituary in theDec. 15, 1934 edition of TheGalveston Daily News statesthat his hobby was farming the70-acre tract of land in AltaLoma that is the present site ofthe castle.He is credited with contributinga great deal to the bettermentof working conditions onthe mainland. It is said he invitedfarmers from all over thecounty to his Alta Loma farm fora demonstration of the first Fordtractor.In 1930, he retired from hisbusiness and devoted most of theremaining four years of his lifeto farming.Christensen had been awidower since the death of hisfirst wife in 1912. In 1930, hemarried NMeska Vogel, to whomhis left his beloved farm.It was she who would build thecastle.Many people believe Mrs.Christensen built the castle intendingto give it to the Catholicchurch as a retirement home foraged nuns. When the church didnot desire the property for thatpurpose, she elected to make ither home.The exact date of the castle'sconstruction is uncertain. Accordingto Lawrence Henckle ofHenckle Lumber Co., constructi o n b e g a n soon a f t e rChristensen's death Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bred Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Here is a pic of the Pignataro Castle in Hitchcock:http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/pignatar.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Its getting spooky! Could this be the one she saw in Espana? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Oops! sorry this was supposed to go under League City topic. Trick or Treat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boricua_don Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Hello...ran across this forum while searching for some info. on the following:My husband and I recently visited the Houston area and we were out and about. We found the Pignataro Estate in Hitchcock and took some photos (love the horse statue). I found some basic info. on the Estate itself but my mother-in-law, who use to live in the area, says there was some movie filming done there and also mentioned some murders that occured at this location. I have been searching for days for any info on either "story". Can anyone fill me in or direct me to more info? Love your site......Houston is the largest city I have ever visited (in many years of travel) and I was so fasicinated with it plus all of that wonderful history I have read about over the years. I will keep up with the forums but I can be contacted at ms.sdrose@hotmail.com. (Even if what I have heard are just "ghost stories"- please let me know)...Thanks yo man im 18 years old nd i stay about 20 minutes from this hell hole yo nd my gurl friends brother in law cut the ppl that live theres grass so they let his family go nd swip at their pool yo im from san juan, puerto rico nd shyt we was there swimmin yesterday june 9 2009 no bullshyt i knew a lil bit bout this shyt nd it looked scary as hell yo but i wanted to kno more bout this place the people that adopted me my dad friend goes ghost hunting so i know a lil shyt about orbs nd shyt nd sum other stuff but i went out by the gate to get the correct spelling of the estate nd for the first time i felt like i was bein watched wen i knew i wasnt it felt like there was sumone breathing on my shoulder nd it sounded like heavy footsteps in the gravel shyt i felt like sumone or sumthing didnt have a problem with us bein there but was also bothered by us at the same time im scared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 yo man im 18 years old nd i stay about 20 minutes from this hell hole yo nd my gurl friends brother in law cut the ppl that live theres grass so they let his family go nd swip at their pool yo im from san juan, puerto rico nd shyt we was there swimmin yesterday june 9 2009 no bullshyt i knew a lil bit bout this shyt nd it looked scary as hell yo but i wanted to kno more bout this place the people that adopted me my dad friend goes ghost hunting so i know a lil shyt about orbs nd shyt nd sum other stuff but i went out by the gate to get the correct spelling of the estate nd for the first time i felt like i was bein watched wen i knew i wasnt it felt like there was sumone breathing on my shoulder nd it sounded like heavy footsteps in the gravel shyt i felt like sumone or sumthing didnt have a problem with us bein there but was also bothered by us at the same time im scared :lol: Niche, quit messin' around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frheard Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Niche, quit messin' around. ohmygod That is Too funny, yo. Does anyone have an approximate address to this place? I tried to find it on google maps but it's kinda hard when all I have to go on is "on hwy 6 between Galveston and Alvin". That could take forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmer Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 ohmygod That is Too funny, yo. Does anyone have an approximate address to this place? I tried to find it on google maps but it's kinda hard when all I have to go on is "on hwy 6 between Galveston and Alvin". That could take forever.Here you go.Bing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I drove by there a couple months ago - very odd place. I'll have to take some pictures next time I'm in the area.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmer Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I had posted this earlier somewhere, but Franco Pignataro's family is the owner of Franca's (formerly Franco's) Italian Restaurant on Nasa Road 1. Mr. Pignataro is a concrete sculptor and did most of the decorations on the restaurant, as well as several on the castle grounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Was in the area this weekend - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I had posted this earlier somewhere, but Franco Pignataro's family is the owner of Franca's (formerly Franco's) Italian Restaurant on Nasa Road 1. Mr. Pignataro is a concrete sculptor and did most of the decorations on the restaurant, as well as several on the castle grounds.The Pignataro's also had a Franco's restaurant in Santa Fe just down the street from the castle. This restaurant also had those concrete sculptures and signature interior concrete features. I remember that the chef, a real italian guy, lived in a residence above the restaurant. The building was demolished in the early 1980's. It could have possibly been damaged by hurricane Alicia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boricua_don Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 im srry for wat i have said ABOUT THE PIG NATARO ESTATE I DIDNT MEAN TO OFFENED ANY ONE AGAIN I AM VERY SRRY I KNOW THE HOUSE MEAN ALOT TO OU AND YOUR FAMILY I KNOW IT HAS A GREAT HISTORY ND IT WONT HAPPEN AGIN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwphillips2 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 I had posted this earlier somewhere, but Franco Pignataro's family is the owner of Franca's (formerly Franco's) Italian Restaurant on Nasa Road 1. Mr. Pignataro is a concrete sculptor and did most of the decorations on the restaurant, as well as several on the castle grounds.Franco's daughter, Franca, now operates/manages the re-named restaurant. If you saw the interior or exterior, you would know immediately the connection to the castle.Great food!BTW: When is "Talk Like a Pirate Day"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.