Ohio Folklore

Piatt Castles, an episode of the Ohio Folklore podcast by Melissa Davies

“Through the efforts of those like the Mac-A-Cheek Foundation for the Humanities, we might just become better versions of ourselves.”

Our Ohio

Like the Mecoche division of the Shawnee people who occupied the land before them, the Piatts treasure the resources and the spirit of the valley they call home. These unique structures, known as the Piatt Castles, have become a private, family-owned museum that interprets over 200 years of history of the Ohio land and Ohio people.

Dayton Daily News

Worth the Drive: Piatt Castles an enchanting sight on Ohio farmland

“A chandelier illuminates the oak and walnut raised panels surrounding the dining room and parquet floors shine, but in the library, where wine-colored fabric covers the walls, quirky wooden points have been cut around the door frames and wood trim.”
August 2018

Donn Piatt lived in West Liberty, Ohio for much of his life. Artifacts from his time as a journalist are safely stored in the Piatt Castles in West Liberty, Ohio. Descendant and Program Director of Piatt Castles, Margaret Piatt, shares some of these artifacts for Ohio Humanities's Democracy and the Informed Citizen Initiative.

"The Ohio-Born journalist was known for explosive language and exposing corruption - as well as threats of violence from enraged readers. His descendant, Margaret Piatt, shares his legacy." Follow as Margaret walks us through Donn's time as a journalist.

The Bellefontaine Examiner

Castle Mac-A-Cheek’s Cabinet of Curiosities explored through grant

“The Mac-A-Cheek Foundation for the Humanities, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides educational experiences at Piatt Castle Mac-A-Cheek, has recently received a Ohio Humanities grant to help the public explore the Cabinet of Curiosities in the castle’s drawing room.”
February 18, 2021

Dayton.com

Explore an Ohio castle and its historic artifacts during free events this month

“Two free events geared toward history lovers are on tap at the historic Piatt Castle Mac-A-Cheek in West Liberty in Logan County.”

Pathways

A Publication of Ohio Humanities

Donn Piatt & Freedom of the Press

“The Ohio-born journalist was known for explosive language and exposing corruption - as well as threats of violence from enraged readers.”
Winter 2018

The Ohio State University

Research Spotlight: Elizabeth Renker

“My project will be the first biography of Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt, one of the greatest American poets of the nineteenth century, who was only recently rediscovered and whose work remains mostly unknown to a wider audience.”
February 2019

Ohio Magazine

Piatt Castles, West Liberty

“Mac-A-Cheek castle builder Abram Piatt’s son, William, first opened the family’s twin mansions to the public in the early 20th century.”
April 2019

Britannica

Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt, American poet

By Jess Roberts
Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt, née Sarah Morgan Bryan, (born August 11, 1836, Fayette county, Kentucky, U.S.—died December 22, 1919, Caldwell, New Jersey), American poet whose particular blend of convention and innovation won her praise and censure during her lifetime and whose writing was rediscovered by scholars beginning in the 1980s.