Château du Upstate, or a castle in the Blue Ridge

On Sunday we lucked out in getting a tour of a castle, right here in the Upstate. Well, a partially finished castle. Brent Bruns II, of “Doomsday Preppers” reality show fame, showed us around the castle featured in the episode “No Such Thing as a Fair Fight.”

The National Geographic channel show “explores the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it." As my knowledge of planning for Armageddon is limited I will avoid that subject, but what I do want to share with you, is that we’ll soon have our very own château du Upstate. Brent’s family has signed on for more episodes, and the castle is getting a roof.

Originally meant to prepare for Y2K, a bomb shelter was installed, a well dug and the cinderblock walls constructed. South-facing solar panels and a wind turbine provide some power, and there are plans for greenhouses just downslope. I sincerely hope the castle will never be used for its original purpose, however I can’t wait to see it finished.

"Have fun stormin' da castle"

Located on a 50-acre mountaintop parcel, even the bomb shelter has a view. Table Rock State Park is clearly visible through the high-arching openings that will eventually be windows, and although I don’t know what that does for defense, I do know that once the property is finished it is sure to be in high demand. According to Brent the family hopes to rent it out for everything from weddings to corporate retreats, and as popular as the Blue Ridge area is I believe they’ll find a market.