SAVANNA, Illinois-- You don't have to go all the way to Europe to tour a castle, there's one that's opening to the public in Savanna, Illinois, and it's called Havencrest Castle.
Once upon a time, in the middle of a forest by the Mississippi River, there lived an artist and his castle filled with constant reminders of his one true love, Adrianne.
For three years visitors were banished, but now this heartbroken artist is opening back up to share the beauty of the love story between him and his queen.
"I met Adrianne when I was 13 years old," says Alan Saint George.
For Saint George, it was love at first sight. Alan married Adrianne about ten years later. They bought a then 22 room home overlooking the Mississippi, they expanded it to 63 rooms and turned every inch of it into a symbol of their love.
"Our anniversary clock on the table. It's stopped at three o`clock. You`ll see a lot of clocks throughout the house stopped at three o`clock. That's because that's the time of our marriage," explains Saint George.
Both Adrianne and George were artists. George was the creator, and Adrianne, the visionary.
Every carving, every color was designed and built by them.
"We weren't practical. But this is kind of the result of two impractical people."
They made their house on their own, but every piece, they made for each other.
"For those 30 years, there was almost never a time you didn't hear a hammer or a saw somewhere in the house because we just kept adding," says Saint George.
But just as quick as it began, the love story was cut short.
Adrianne passed away of heart failure. She was diagnosed just two days before. Now the king has been without his queen for more than a decade.
"I'm just kind of sad a little bit because she didn't enjoy it for that long."
The two made a promise, though, a phrase they lived by.
"Our motto, semper nos. It's Latin for always us. It's the idea that marriage goes beyond life," says Saint George.
The phrase is everywhere in their castle, painted on the walls and even carved into dishes.
"Marriage goes beyond life. We are married, we're still married, not till death but eternally. She's always on my mind and heart, and she always will be."
It's a promise they made then, that he's keeping forever in his castle in the forest. This love story has no end.
"Adrianne taught me how to love and be loved and to give all of yourself and then you get everything back."
Havencrest Castle will be open for public tours every weekend in October.
