The king is ready to give up his castle.

David Birdsell recently put up for sale his 8-acre property in Charlestown and the large cinderblock structure that looks more like something out of a Minecraft game or medieval movie than a quiet stretch of Southern Indiana road.

Dubbed Birdsell Castle, the structure includes a traditional kitchen and living room alongside a blacksmith shop, vampire crypt and apothecary. It hit the market in May for nearly $1.3 million and as of July is listed for $995,000.

“Every day you walk through this castle, you're amazed,” Birdsell said. “And I haven't lost that from the minute I bought the place. So me selling it is more like giving somebody else an opportunity to enjoy this four years that I've had.”

David Birdsell poses in the throne room in Birdsell Castle in Charlestown, Indiana. The property has 20,000 square feet under roof and sits on eight acres. It is a repurposed reservoir for the former ammunition plant in Charlestown. It has eight bedrooms and bathrooms and a 12-car garage. It’s on the market for just under $1 million.

Birdsell has ruled his kingdom since he bought the property at 6900 Dave Carr Road in summer 2021.

Living in Florida at the time as a real estate broker, Birdsell heard about the listing from his son, who sent it to him with the suggestion to have several vacation rental properties all under one castle roof.

“I think he meant it jokingly,” he said. “I thought about it for a day or so, and I said, ‘You know, when do you have the chance to buy that big of a castle structure for that low of a price?'"

He put in his offer sight unseen within its first week on the market, he said, and though he was offered $75,000 by another interested buyer to rescind his offer, he refused, and ultimately closed the deal for $400,000.

Office area inside the Birdsell Castle in Charlestown, Indiana. The property has 20,000 square feet under roof and sits on eight acres. It is a repurposed reservoir for the former ammunition plant in Charlestown. It has eight bedrooms and bathrooms and a 12-car garage. It’s on the market for just under $1 million.

Before it was a modern-day castle, the property served as a water reservoir for an Army ammunition plant.

Prior owner Mackey Griffin transformed the abandoned building into a castle in the 1990s. After Griffin died in early 2020, his wife, Peggy Griffin, sold the property, telling the Courier Journal at the time what made the property special.

“Because it's so unusual,” she said. “That's the only thing I can say."

Birdsell's initial vision when buying the property was to convert it into a series of short-term rentals, thinking a castle theming would attract lots of guests.

“It was like, ‘Oh this is a no brainer people would love to come stay in a castle,’” he said.

Two bedrooms, in the towers of the castle, are completely redone and continue to welcome overnight guests. But another use has taken up lots of Birdsell’s time and attention.

The Birdsell Castle in Charlestown, Indiana, is for sale. The property has 20,000 square feet under roof and sits on eight acres. It is a repurposed reservoir for the former ammunition plant in Charlestown. It has eight bedrooms and bathrooms and a 12-car garage. It’s on the market for just under $1 million.default

“I got involved, and probably what I should say is distracted by, doing Renaissance fairs and things that just pop up from owning a castle,” he said.

He soon found himself building stages and horse stables and jousting infrastructure.

Over the years, the castle has hosted medieval era and Renaissance festivals. He’s welcomed Viking and pirate gatherings. There’s been weddings in the dungeon.

Having never attended a Renaissance fair before moving to Indiana, Birdsell was soon immersed in the pageantry and spectacle.

“It kind of went to my head a little bit during the Renaissance fairs,” he said. “I think their slogan was a castle, a king and a fair, and I was the king. And so I was dressed accordingly and would meet people and it was very fun.”

Those events pulled focus from finishing the renovations inside the building.

Officially listed as a 2.5-bath, 3-bedroom house, Birdsell said the property has eight bedrooms and eight baths in various stages of completion. Living space totals some 20,000 square feet, he said, not counting a 12-car garage. Then there’s the courtyard inside the 20-foot-tall castle walls.

The dining hall inside the Birdsell Castle in Charlestown, Indiana. The property has 20,000 square feet under roof and sits on eight acres. It is a repurposed reservoir for the former ammunition plant in Charlestown. It has eight bedrooms and bathrooms and a 12-car garage. It’s on the market for just under $1 million.

“It’s a big property and it's a lot of maintenance, and I'm starting to get older so I have to slow down a little bit,” he said.

Birdsell intends to keep the listing — with Denise Taylor of Green Tree Real Estate — up for six months before taking it down for listing at a later, undefined date.

Castle furnishings such as iron chandeliers, suits of armor and ornate tables and chairs aren’t part of the sale price, but Birdsell said he’s open to negotiation.

“It's definitely not for a conservative buyer, people that accept the traditional way of living,” he said. “I mean, imagine having your kids picked up by a school bus in front of your castle. I think the buyer is going to be somebody that sees the property and the minute they step into it, they have no question in their mind they want to be here.”

Reach growth and development reporter Matthew Glowicki at [email protected] or 502-582-4000.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Castle for sale: Massive Birdsell Castle in Indiana hits the market. Take a look inside