Once famed in Alabama for its architecture, it was an unusual mixing of neoclassical and picturesque aesthetics in one plantation complex.

[5] The plantation at Rocky Hill Castle was founded by James Edmonds Saunders in the mid-1820s, shortly after he and his wife came to Alabama from their native Georgia.

[2] Desiring a grander dwelling, Saunders demolished this earlier house and began building Rocky Hill Castle in 1858.

The house served as a Confederate hospital during the war, with several soldiers buried nearby in the Saunders' family cemetery.

Saunders and his family are alleged to have abruptly abandoned Rocky Hill Castle in the 1920s, purportedly after ghostly activity.

[2] Rocky Hill Castle was built from 1858 to 1861, utilizing a combination of the Greek Revival and Italianate architectural styles.