Carolina Castle - an historical mystery

For many years, I have heard about this book, and I have known very few people who actually own a copy.  Apparently, this book did not have a large print run, and finding copies of the book (particularly with a dust jacket!) are very difficult, indeed. A company did reprint the book some years back, but even those reprint copies are hard to find (and expensive as well!).  Thus, I had resolved myself to the fact that is was VERY unlikely I would ever read the book, let alone own a copy.  But, lo and behold, a recent visit to a dear friend resulted in my being gifted an extra copy of the book that he had!  Talk about flabbergasted (I knew I would find a way to use that word one of these days)!  I was completely shocked, utterly thrilled, and forever thankful for such a truly wonderful, generous gift.  Needless to say, I couldn't wait to read it!

Carolina Castle is one of the few Mildred Wirt (Benson) stand-alone mysteries.  Yes, I know her "Mystery Stories for Girls" books were all individual mysteries, not connected in any way, but they were all under the banner of "Mystery Stories for Girls," so they can be viewed as a series of sorts.  But Carolina Castle, published in 1936 by The Penn Publishing Company, was not published any particular banner or series, and is one of the few books Wirt wrote that was published by Penn (in a "Chat with Cleveland Writers" article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1931, she indicated she was working on an aviation series for Penn Publishing Co. - not sure what series that was, because the Ruth Darrow series was published first by Barse, and then by Grosset & Dunlap).  But, that's neither here nor there - we're talking about Carolina Castle.

The lead protagonist for this book is Evelyn Brandleton, who shares the mystery with her best friend Joan Carling, as well as her brother, Benny Brandleton.  The story opens to a rather depressed Evelyn, as she is facing a rainy day at home in South Carolina, where her friend has come to stay for part of the summer.  She feels she is failing as a hostess (p. 6), as there were "few parties to enliven the week" (p. 6).  Apparently, one must host plenty of parties if one wishes to truly be a good hostess and entertain one's guests!  But as soon as the rain stops, Evelyn convinces Joan to visit Castle Hill, on old, burned down mansion not far from her own home (but, of course, set back from the road so it is not easily seen by passers-by).  They set out to explore the once stately estate, but by the end of that first chapter, Evelyn hears a terrifying scream, and then all is silent!

Before continuing, there are a few things to note about this first chapter.  First, let's look at the title to that chapter.  "Whispering Walls."  For those familiar with the Penny Parker Mystery Stories, you might recognize this as the title to the 15th book in that series, which was published in 1946 (ten years after the publication of this book).  Coincidence, or not?  Second, society's racial thinking is shown abundantly clear in this first chapter, as Wirt refers to "the negro shacks which were just visible..." (p. 5), to the distinct dialect Evelyn uses when mimicking the family's cook, Magnolia (p. 8), who is described as "the old colored cook" (p. 9).  These type of references continue throughout the story, both with regards to Magnolia (or "Aunt Mag" as they call her) and Wishy, the old man who lives in the woods - who even uses a surprisingly derogatory term when referring to himself: "You don't ketch dis niggah neah dat place" (p. 171).  I have read a number of vintage children's series books from the '30s and '40s that utilize terms such as negro, negress, darky, and others, but I have to admit, this is the first one I've read that actually uses that term!  This definitely dates the book, showing it is very much a product of its time.

But, moving along, the mystery begins as Evelyn finds her friend has fallen through some not-so-sturdy floorboards, which leads them to discover a secret staircase that leads down to some tunnels below the house.  They, of course, set out to explore them, and soon find that they lead to a hidden exit some distance away.  Needless to say, they set about to thoroughly explore every inch of the tunnel, and soon enough, Evelyn's brother joins them.  They uncover a buried chest, which they hope contains valuable treasures!  After some failed attempts, they ultimately locate the key to the chest at the home of an elderly woman who knows some of the history regarding the house, and upon opening the chest, they find some dresses, an old sword, two small miniatures, and a diary - one that belonged to Beatrice Dinwood, the daughter of the man who built the fine home back in the 1700s.  And this sets the stage for a historical mystery that leads these three young protagonists on a search for a long-lost family treasure, as well as a search to find a descendant of the Dinwoods so they can learn what really happened to Beatrice and the man she loved.

The book is very well written, probably one of Wirt's best, and if you aged the three protagonists, it would have made a great adult historical novel.  While there are a only a couple of "cliffhanger" type incidents, the mystery is intriguing enough to draw the reader in, wanting to know what treasure will be found, where the family heirloom is hidden, and what exactly happened to Beatrice Dinwood when she escaped capture by the British army that was overtaking the town.  Wirt plants clues throughout the story that are not overt or obvious, making it a much more fun read than normal series mysteries, where the solution is somewhat obvious to anyone who has been reading mysteries for any length of time.  Plus, the historical aspect is certainly interesting, as Wirt manages to slide in a number of historical facts about the Revolutionary War and what happened in Charleston (or Charles Town, as it was known back then).  

 

I would love to know who provided the art for the frontis piece (which depicts a scene from page 38 of the story, when the girls, by candlelight, begin to creep down the stairs into the tunnel below the plantation).  It is beautifully rendered, albeit a bit reminiscent of the scene from The Hidden Staircase when Nancy is walking down the stairs with a candle.  The shadows, the torn floorboards above the girls' heads, all work together to create a very creepy ambiance that is perfect for the scene!

Overall, I'd definitely rate this as one of Wirt's better books - it's a shame that copies of the book are so difficult to find, especially at a reasonable price!  Perhaps it's about time someone did another reprint so more people can enjoy the story!

RATING:  9 special charms to keep the graveyard ghosts away out of 10 for a wonderfully written mystery that employs history, lost treasures, and cryptic clues from a diary to create a great read!