Over the next half century the castle fell into neglect and was owned by
several individuals. Molly Magee Knudsen, a cousin to Anson Stokes purchased it
in 1956. Having grown up hearing the stories about her cousins castle in Nevada,
she could not resist. Molly, a New York socialite, soon turned ranch owner and
prominent citizen of Austin placed a chain link fence around the building
to help preserve it from further theft and vandalism.