Castle Freedom

Upon arriving at Castle Freedom ™, you don’t see the castle on top of the mountain.

The first thing you see is the small castle in the middle of the hay field and the two large barns. This is phase one of the Castle Freedom project.

It takes time to complete a project this big and it has to be done in phases.

Even the great castles of the world, such as Windsor Castle, have evolved over time, and in the case of Windsor for over 1,000 years.

Not only time is involved; it takes treasure to build a castle.

Most castles have been built with the power and treasure of entire nations or at least duchies and baronies.

Castle Freedom is being built by ordinary people who share the dream of building the first castle in the history of the world to be dedicated to peace and freedom and built by the cooperative efforts of thousands of people around the world.

So, we start small and build over time.

Even the small castle is the first real castle in North America. It houses the initial conference center, offices, restaurant, and apartments that will be used to plan and build the entire complex.

Raising the money to buy hundreds of acres on both sides of the river and up to the top of the mountain is an ongoing project as we need more land for constructing the several phases of Castle Freedom.

So, we begin with the small castle and the two barns.

At first, the barns provide shelter for events, classes, and seminars that later will be held in the great room of the large castle. When the great room is open, the barns will hold the herd of champion Clydesdales, Percherons, Shires, and Belgian draft horses that pull the carriages and wagons full of our guests to the top of the mountain and serve as mounts for our knights in shining armour.

As you may already know, cars and trucks are not allowed up the main, winding road to the castle, but they may use the service entrance to the castle for special purposes.

Our guests park in the main parking lot and are shuttled in carriages and wagons around the grounds. When we have big events, parking is available around the area and buses bring our guests onto the grounds.

There are beautiful walks along both sides of the river and one large, arching bridge crosses the river for pedestrian usage.

To get to the top of the mountain, visitors are welcome to walk up the pathway that lies between the main road and the creek that gurgles its way down the mountain from the lake near the castle and down to the river. It’s not a long walk, but parts of the trail are steep, so there are benches made of rock along the path and beside the creek.

Most people elect to ride up the mountain in a carriage and enjoy the slow, relaxing trip to the tune of the horses large hooves clopping their way up the road. At the bottom of the mountain are beautiful flowers and shrubs and these slowly give way to grass as we approach the crafts village.

There are several dozen buildings built of rock and wood that house artisans who specialize in a variety of arts and crafts. Our visitors love browsing through the shops and studios and many of the artisans are happy to demonstrate their skills. This is a very popular destination when the holidays approach and our guests want to buy those very special presents for the people they love.

It’s after you pass through the artisan village that you come around the bend and see the huge rock walls of the castle rising into the air before you.

Pennants, banners, and flags wave in the breeze above the towers along the wall.

Your eye rises even higher and you see for the first time the large tower that houses the great room at its base and hotel rooms, apartments, and luxury condominiums on the upper floors. The top floor houses our best restaurant, but you’ll have to make your reservations ahead of time to dine there.

From this restaurant you have an unobstructed view of the surrounding mountains.

Off to your left, you see the great tournament field and the stands for viewing the events that take place there.

Between the field and the castle lies a lake that feeds the creek that flows first through the castle and then down the creek to the river.

Your carriage arrives at the main entrance to the castle, crosses the drawbridge and brings you to our main reception area. Footmen help you dismount and gather your bags as you enter the reception area and check into your room for your stay.

While you are here, you are our valued guest and friend and we will do all we can to make sure you have a safe, educational, entertaining, and long-remembered experience.

Castle Freedom is build for you. We look forward to your visit.

Who will you be a year from now? Act on your dream!

JD

I have been working for several years to bring this site to life.

Eventually, this will lead to the real-life creation of Castle Freedom ™, a castle dedicated to peace and freedom, created by John Dilbeck and made possible by ordinary people around the world.

This is an experiment in imagination and manifesting.

Together, we will imagine how to build Castle Freedom ™ and create the reality to bring it to life.

Unleash your imagination. Join the process. You can help us build a castle dedicated to all the freedoms we want to help you enjoy. We will learn together and we will accomplish together.

It is a massive project that none of us can accomplish alone, but together we can make it real.

You are invited to join us on this journey. Your participation is required for successful completion of this project.

Act on your dream!

John Dilbeck

After a long summer that has been unusually hot and dry, this morning starts with clouds and a light sprinkle of rain. Hopefully, more will fall over the next few days.

I am sitting in my office creating a blog to write the future of Castle Freedom ™. If I can write a program to control a computer, why can’t I write a script to create one possible future?

I believe I can, and I believe this future will include you.

This morning, when I close my eyes, I see a field next to a river, with mountains just beyond. Rising from the brown grass in the field is a gray stone wall with hints of several buildings enclosed within.

Just outside the stone walls flows a stream that fills the moat. There is a river on the far side of the castle and enough water is diverted from the river to fill the moat.

As I look north across the field, there is a massive drawbridge built of oak timbers and steel rods, bolts, and reinforcements. To the left and right are large torches held by hand-wrought steel fixtures. The light of the torches casts stark shadows on the walls and bridge and the smoke drifts into the light fog over the river.

There is a gravel-filled road leading up to the drawbridge and continuing on both sides of the castle walls.

A carriage drawn by two chestnut mares slowly approaches the drawbridge and slows to a stop. The footman jumps to the ground and places a portable step in place before helping the men and women step down from the carriage. They pause to look around and the smiles on their faces show their delight at being here.

One points out the word “Freedom” which is spelled out in large steel letters above the drawbridge. To the right, just before the drawbridge, they read the small sign that says, “To all who come in peace, welcome!”

The ladies and gentlemen remove their bags from the carriage and enter the castle walls.

Why are they here?

What will they do today?

In the distance, another carriage approaches and it becomes apparent that some sort of gathering is upon us.

It is a beginning.

Act on your dream!

JD

Today is March 23, 2004 and I have just registered CastleFreedom.com and created the first vestige of this website that will eventually lead to the creation and grand opening of Castle Freedom ™.

The idea is brand new and I’ve spoken to only a very few people about it.

They all agree to two things:

1. It’s an impossible dream that will take too many people and too much money.

2. It’s a great idea and would be hugely popular if we could find a way to pull it off.

So, I’m going to engage my imagination and start creating it in my own mind. Each day, I’ll imagine more of the castle and what it will be used for. When I get to the point where I can actually see it and walk through it, it will be time to start sharing the dream and attracting others.

I know this will take millions of dollars and several years to accomplish and I’m starting with no money and about a dozen people who have started imagining it in their minds.

A corporation will be formed, initial funding will be solicited, and the trademarks and service marks will need to be registered and protected.

How does one raise approximately $100 million without someone wanting to take over and change the dream to something else. One way would be to raise $100 from a million or more people. This would be accomplished over a period of time and all of it isn’t needed to begin.

My first ideas are that it will take five or six million dollars to secure the land that will be necessary and another million or two to start building phase one of the structures that will be necessary.

Over time, in multiple phases, the dream will be manifested near Murphy, NC, which is located approximately equidistant between Chattanooga, TN and Asheville, NC on US Hwy 64. North to south, we are between Knoxville, TN and Atlanta, GA.

The southern entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Cherokee, NC, is about an hour away and millions of people visit the park every year.

The Biltmore House is located a couple of hours east of here in Asheville, NC.

This is a great location for people to attend conferences, seminars, and classes related to peace and freedom. I can already see thousands of people smiling and laughing as they meet others who share their views and want to learn how to achieve more freedom in their lives.

One day, you will visit Castle Freedom ™ and I will be happy to shake your hand and thank you for all you have done to make this a reality.

Alone, I can only dream.

Together, we can change the world.

Act on your dream!

JD