They called it the castle on the hill…

In the late 1800s, the businessmen and citizens of Alva could not see the wrap their heads around sending their children to Edmond for “Normal”schooling, so they began a crusade for the establishment of an institution of higher education in the northwest part of Oklahoma Territory. On Sept. 20, 1897, the Northwestern Territorial Normal School opened with an enrollment of 58 students. Classes were held in the Congregational Church and later the Baptist Church.

And that’s where Joseph Foucart comes in…

As attendance and faculty increased, there was a need for a permanent home for the normal school. “The Castle on the Hill” was then built and was dedicated in 1898. The cost was set originally at $86,018 but was increased to $110,000 before the project was completed. It was said to be one of the largest and most beautiful normal school buildings west of the Mississippi River. The “Castle” burned March 1, 1935.