The Old Castle on the Hill formerly located at 2603 Jerome Ave in Dayton Ohio was built by a German Captain Ziegler in the mid 1800s and described as resembling a monastery. In the 1930s it was purchased by Ernest and Charlest Higgins Johnson who enjoyed the home and surrounding orchards raising their ten children. The Castle became a community gathering place known for its lending library and eclectic collection of rare antiques and art objects.Charlest a published poet who’s works include Echoes of Heart Throbs Whispers of Love, was a member of the Ohio Poets Roundtable and a real estate investor assisting field to factory migrants. The Castle was often visited by Black Renaissance writers like Halley Q. Brown, Langston Hughes and J.A. Rogers. In 1934 Rogers featured Charlest in the Pittsburgh Courier describing her as, “One of America’s most sensitive and lyrical poets” noting “The Old Castle On The Hill” for its rare art objects.