‘Ramona’s Castle’ — a Treasure at Foot of San Diego’s Mt. Woodson

by Debbie L. Sklar / Times of San Diego / April 8, 2026

At the foot of Mt. Woodson in Ramona stands a remarkable stone-and-adobe residence that locals affectionately call the Ramona Castle. Despite the nickname, there were no princesses or royalty here. The home was conceived and built as the private vision of Irene Amy Strong, a San Diego dress designer and entrepreneur who wanted a residence that combined craftsmanship, artistry, and harmony with nature.

A Home Born of Craft and Personal Vision
In 1909, Strong, a successful designer catering to San Diego’s social elite and known for sourcing fabrics from Europe, acquired the Woodson Ranch property. She commissioned architects Emmor Brooke Weaver and John Terrell Vawter to design a home reflecting the American Craftsman Movement, which emphasized handcrafted detail, natural materials, and integration with the environment.

Construction began around 1916 and concluded in 1921 at a reported cost of $50,000 — a significant investment for the era. The resulting structure spanned roughly 12,000 square feet, with 27 rooms over multiple levels. Thick stone walls, flagstone floors, and a great room with a 16-foot ceiling highlighted the home’s grandeur. Materials were sourced largely from the property itself, including eucalyptus, oak, and redwood, complemented by rock, adobe, brick, plaster, concrete, and stucco.

Design, Detail, and Unconventional Construction
Though called a “castle,” the home was meant as a sanctuary and showcase of artistry, not a fortress. Exterior influences included French, Dutch, Spanish, and Medieval elements, while interior motifs drew on Aztec, Greek, Roman, Persian, Arabic, and North American craft traditions, each chosen for symbolic meaning.

Windows of irregular Belgium triplex glass, built in closets well before their time, twisted eucalyptus beams, and carved eaves with gargoyle supports created character throughout. Floors and ceilings were intentionally irregular, reflecting hands-on craftsmanship — chalk lines were never used.

Amenities Ahead of Their Time
Strong’s home featured multiple fireplaces, a Dutch oven, a swing porch, a pantry, a dumbwaiter, a full intercom system, and a gasoline engine-assisted windmill pumping water from springs to redwood tanks. The area beneath the windmill served as a naturally cool storage space for meats and vegetables — innovations reflecting both practicality and artistry.

Legacy, Preservation, and Contemporary Use
Strong lived in the home until ill health forced her return to San Diego; she died in 1950 at age 89. Over the decades, the property changed hands and uses, with folklore and anecdotal stories occasionally coloring its history.

Advocates succeeded in listing Mt. Woodson Castle on the National Register of Historic Places, preserving its architectural and cultural heritage. Today, it operates as an event venue, hosting weddings, private gatherings, and tours that showcase Strong’s craftsmanship, artistic vision, and early 20th-century design ethos — a lasting testament to a home built with imagination, skill, and environmental awareness.

“Rather than a castle or a haunted house, the Mt. Woodson structure was, in fact, built as a ‘home’… symbolizing security, permanency, and an environmental awareness.”

Sources:

Summer Furzer, The Ramona Castle: Irene Amy Strong’s Home and the Craftsman Movement, The Journal of San Diego History, Summer 1982 — architectural and personal history of the castle.
Mt. Woodson Castle official history — construction details, materials, and design context.
Hidden San Diego, “Mt. Woodson Castle” — historic overview and construction facts.
Emmor Brooke Weaver biography and Craftsman style context — architectural background.
National Register of Historic Places.