lora josephine knight

For weekly updates, interviews and profiles from a Tahoe insider, sign up for our Tahoe newsletter here. After Lora's father passed, the brothers took over the law firm and together, they became incredibly wealthy businessmen based in Chicago. The 38-bedroom castle was constructed between 1928 and 1929 for Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, who used it as a summer retreat. The Vikingsholm foundation was laid in 1928, but the building was constructed in 1929 by 200 workers. As fate would have it, Lora married James and her sister Ada married William. Unfortunately, they were not happy together and divorced after just a couple of years. Not a lot to do there, except hike up to the Tea House and take some photos. McLaughlin says the replicas were so exact, Knight even had the ages of the wood matched and scratch marks on the original copied. James Lick, a Pennsylvania Dutchman, first struck it rich in the California Gold Rush and then parlayed his luck into a fortune by investing in San Franciscos booming real estate market. Lora Josephine Knights legacy is enshrined in the magnificent Scandinavian castle Vikingsholm that she had built at Emerald Bay in 1929, but her first property at Tahoe was actually located at Chinquapin, a sheltered cove just east of Dollar Point in Carnelian Bay. The roof of the north and south wings is topped with sod where grass and flowers grow each spring. The sibling entrepreneurs eventually amassed quite a fortune with controlling interest in a number of large American corporations such as the Diamond Match Company, U.S. Steel and National Biscuit (Nabisco), the maker of Oreo cookies. Vikingsholm Castle is a 38-room mansion on the shore of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. She married James Hobart Moore, who she met while he worked with her father in his law practice, and who along with his brother became rich by gaining controlling interests in a large number of companies such as the Diamond Match Company, U.S. Steel, Union Pacific, and Nabisco. EDITORS NOTE: This article was originally published in the Summer 2017 edition of Tahoe Magazine. . Their Wisconsin chateau boasted 27 rooms, a wine cellar and a two-lane bowling alley. Weather and vandalism have left the Tea House in a miserable condition. It is an enjoyable little kayak excursion to the island. Lennart Palme said: The problem of placing Vikingsholm without disturbing the trees was perhaps the trickiest I have had to solve either abroad or in these United States.. After a short marriage to Henry Knight, yet keeping his last name, Lora Knight went to work on creating the castle of her dreams to blend in with the bay. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Lora married James and her sister married William. Newspapers reported that Nathaniels death had a devastating impact on his parents, especially his father, who grew ill soon after. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. [4], Knight sold her Wychwood home to San Francisco businessman Robert Stanley Dollar Sr.[1] In the summer of summer of 1929, Knight built Vikingsholm, the house she is most known for, buying the 240 acres of land in Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe from William Henry Armstrong, who she knew through her church, for $250,000. Knight had derived design ideas from 11th century wooden churches in Norway and carvings from these ancient church entrances were incorporated into many Vikingsholm door entries. Brown grew up on Tahoe's West Shore. It was there she decided to build a structure that would incorporate the atmosphere and design of an old Viking castle of stone construction. The park is also, oddly, the home of Vikingsholm, a replica of a Scandinavian castle. After Edward Smalls death, William and James took over the firm and formed the Moore Brothers partnership. If Lake Tahoe was tipped upside-down . Currently it is used as a hiking trail by those wishing to visit this remarkable castle. Pieces of wood resembling spikes adorn the gutters in a nod to the Scandinavian custom people used to ward off evil spirits. She was born Lora Josephine Small in Galena, Illinois, in 1864 - one of a family of four daughters and one son. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Vikingsholm Castle . Visitors, like Conn, sometimes leave . Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Knight had derived design ideas from 11th century wooden churches in Norway and carvings from these ancient church entrances were incorporated into many Vikingsholm door entries. Lora then purchased about 240 acres of land at the head of Emerald Bay, as well as Fannette Island, from the William Henry Armstrong family for $250,000. Specifically: Private Memorial Memorial ID 110560461 . Since this is my blog and I get to say whatever I want, I think Morris would've approved of . Julie Brown is a freelance writer and former contributing editor at SFGATE. Palme and Knight traveled to Scandinavia that summer to research the design features that would be incorporated into her Tahoe castle. Dinner was at 6:30 p.m. On most evenings after dinner, Mrs. Knight and her guests were driven by limousine to the top of the road at Highway 89, Smith said. In the winter, Vikingsholm is quiet. Inside the decor is a collection of original and replica antiques. Widowed and then divorced, the newspapers at the time said Knight was one of the wealthiest women in America. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Her father, Edward Small, was a corporate lawyer who took on two brothers as partners in his law practice William Henry Moore and James Hobart Moore. Those wishing to know more can enjoy one of the daily guided tours through the end of September. Tahoe historian Mark McLaughlinis a nationally published author and professional speaker and former freelance writer for Tahoe Magazine. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Shes recalled some of those memories in a booklet and, more recently, as a park ranger. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Vikingsholm was built by Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. The foundation was laid in 1928, and the building was constructed in 1929 by around 200 workers. Commissioned by Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home, Knight wanted someplace that reflected the beauty of the surrounding area. In later years, Charles Lindbergh frequently visited Lora Knight at her Santa Barbara estate and the Vikingsholm castle as well. She spent 15 summers at the mansion before passing away peacefully in her home in 1945 (and leaving a thousand dollars for each of her employees for every year they worked for her). Those wishing to know more can enjoy one of the daily guided tours from Memorial Day weekend until the end of September. For more information see the California Parks Website. I've heard stories about the wealthy woman who built the teahouse on the island. -- Tahoe's Hidden Castle. Oops, something didn't work. Life was good for the Moores, but after their purchase of the Tahoe property, James health began to fail. LORA J. KNIGHT. The horse stable housed 60 thoroughbreds. The bridge was not the only major . She enjoyed the property for years, until her passing in 1945. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Mosquito Fire in Tahoe National Forest balloons to 5,000 acres, Burning Man aftermath leaves mounds of trash in Tahoe area, 'Don't be a hero': The bomb that nearly destroyed a Tahoe resort. First, Huell . Lora Josephine Knight was a philanthropist from California who was at one time one of the wealthiest women in America according to newspaper reports. Friends spent many summers with Mrs. Knight at Vikingsholm, swimming, boating, and hiking . There, visitors tour Vikingsholm, a stone-and-timber mansion built by Lora Josephine Knight in 1929 at Emerald Bay, which reminded her of a Scandinavian fjord. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Lora Knight filled her castle with original antiques she picked up in Scandinavia. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference. As fate would have it, Lora married James and her sister Ada married William. Currently it is used as a hiking trail by those wishing to visit this remarkable castle. To build it, she hired Swedish architect Lennart Palme, her nephew by marriage. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Their Wisconsin chateau boasted 27 rooms, a wine cellar and a two-lane bowling alley. Burial Details Unknown. Knight loved Tahoe, and for 16 years she enjoyed her summers at Wychwood, hosting friends and family members, but in 1928, she sold her beloved lakeside Shangri-La to Robert Stanley Dollar Sr., a wealthy San Francisco businessman. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. It was built in a single summer. Emerald Bay also reminded her of a Norwegian fjord with its steep surrounding slopes and deep blue water. Loras marriage to Harry Knight didnt last for more than a couple of years before they divorced. They traveled across Scandinavia for research and inspiration before laying the foundation in the late summer of 1928 for Vikingsholm. Despite its ancient motif, Vikingsholm had all the conveniences available in the 1930s, including electricity, modern fixtures and private baths in the bedrooms. Pieces of wood resembling spikes adorn the gutters in a nod to the Scandinavian custom people used to ward off evil spirits. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a6c48a6eb8c72e2209552e8955337afe" );document.getElementById("a260d01730").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Hi, Im Greg and I can help you to have your piece of the Tahoe Lifestyle, sitemap admin 2023 All Rights Reserved Real Estate Website Design by IDXCentral.com. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Eventually, a wealthy woman by the name Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, acquired the island when she had a mansion built on a nearby shore, in 1929. [1] Knight often entertained guests such as her friend Charles Lindbergh at Vikingsholm. She was a major promoter and financial backer of Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis; and donated to a number of other causes and funded various building projects including her own . The building, as creepy as it may look, was actually a tea house, built by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, ex-wife of wealthy stockbroker Charles French Knight. His award-winning books are available at local stores or atwww.thestormking.com. The horse stable housed 60 thoroughbreds.