Vintage Postcard Shows Ha Ha Tonka When It Was a Castle

There are very few who are alive in Missouri now that remember when the ruins in Ha Ha Tonka State Park were a castle, but a vintage postcard that's more than 100 years old reveals what it looked like back in its original form.

I found a post just shared on the Missouri sub-Reddit that was very compelling. It's a postcard that's been preserved by the Missouri State Historical Society that they say dates back into the 1920's showing what was then Ha Ha Tonka Castle.

Missouri State Historical Society

What is the history behind Ha Ha Tonka?

Robert M. Snyder purchased the land in 1903 and began construction on the European-style castle he imagined and designed in 1905. He was tragically killed in an auto accident in 1906 before it was completed. His sons Robert Jr., LeRoy, and Kenneth completed work on the castle in the early 1920's, but a chimney spark in October of 1942 burnt the structure to the ground with only a few walls remaining. Missouri State Parks notes that this wasn't the only tragic fire at Ha Ha Tonka as vandals set fire to the chimney part of the structure in 1976. The state took over ownership and turned it into Ha Ha Tonka State Park in 1978.

Despite the tragic history, Ha Ha Tonka State Park has become one of the most iconic and photographed sites in the state of Missouri. What began as one man's dream castle for his wife has survived multiple tragedies to become one of Missouri's must-visit locations. The postcard from the early 1920's recalls its innocent beginnings.