History of Castle Hill (1867-)

After 1867, the castle served as the seat of the United States government until military forces were withdrawn in 1877. After 1877, Alaska had no government until the Organic Act of 1884 authorized the appointment of an Internal Revenue agent. The castle was then used as the office and residence of government officials until it was destroyed by fire in 1894. On July 18, 1898, by order of President McKinley, the site was reserved for agricultural investigations and weather service reporting by the Department of Agriculture, and a new building was constructed for those purposes. That building was later destroyed, and ownership of the land was transferred to the Territory of Alaska in 1956. Site improvements were carried out during 1966 and 1967 in preparation for the Alaska Purchase centennial.

Sitka, Alaska · United States