Flippin Castle

Tom Flippin believed in the adage that a man’s home is his castle. The son of Oregon pioneers, he was working in the woods by the time he was 17. In his early 20s, he had acquired his own timberland, built a mill, married and become the father of three. From the beginning of his career, Tom saved the best lumber for the great house he would build in
town when his children were old enough to go to school. Tom and his wife Florence bought land beside the school on the hilltop overlooking the village of Clatskanie. In 1898, construction on the turreted Victorian mansion started, and in 1900 the Flippin family moved into what has since been known as “The Castle.”

During the middle part of the 20th century, The Castle lost some of its grandeur when it served as a boarding house. In the mid-1970s, George and Anne Salmi bought and restored it, filling it with antiques. They opened The Castle for tours in 1975. Four years later, it was purchased by the Clatskanie Senior Citizens, Inc., which continues to
operate it as a venue for senior activities, weddings, receptions, teas and tours. The grandest of Clatskanie’s homes, The Castle stands as a reminder of the forest resources industry that continues to be a mainstay of the local economy. Filled with antiques and memorabilia, The Castle is a destination for visitors to Clatskanie and serves as a venue for social gatherings, historic observances and cultural events.

• ADA accessible
• Guided tours available
• Fee required
• Interpretive signage
• Located on private land