In later years, Charles Lindbergh frequently visited Lora Knight at her Santa Barbara estate and the Vikingsholm castle as well. But the story of Mrs. Knight and her Vikingsholm stand apart from the rest. She exhibited Indian baskets, including some by the noted Washoe weaver Dat-So-La-Lee, also known as Louisa Keyser. For a birthday present, his father wrote him a check for $100,000. His nationally reported death led to a crackdown on Chicago brothels and morphine abuse. Oak Hill Cemetery. In 1928, Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight bought the Armstrong's land with the desire to build a summer home that would compliment the magnificent natural surroundings. A sod roof was installed on the north and south wings, so that grasses and wildflowers could grow. Visitors, like Conn, sometimes leave . They also spent time at their luxury homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. Mrs. Knight had Vikingsholm built for her as a summer home in 1929. Designed by Lennart Palme and Matt Green, the 38-room mansion features a stone facade with Scandinavian Gothic influences, with the stone facade influenced by churches and castles of southern Sweden and wooden elements inside and out . Nathan was an avid golfer and a participating member of the American Olympic team that won the gold medal at the 1904 Summer Games in Missouri. During the summer months she would take guests to the island for high tea. The roof of the north and south wings is topped with sod where grass and flowers grow each spring. Lora Knight died in 1945 and Lawrence Holland, a Nevada rancher purchased the Vikingsholm from her estate. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Stones were quarried from the back of their property, where Eagle Falls spills over granite cliffs. During construction of the main house Lora turned her attention to Fannette Island in the middle of Emerald Bay. Knight traveled to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland to research ideas for her grand Lake Tahoe home, including old wooden churches and ancient stone castles, before . Oops, we were unable to send the email. 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. Architect Palme estimated the projects total cost at $500,000. After their purchase of the Tahoe property, James health began to fail and he died in 1916, leaving Lora an estate worth $15 million. Nathan Moore apparently knew how to have a good time, dying at the age of 25 of natural causes after spending the previous night at Chicagos most famous and expensive house of prostitution. $1,225,000 120 Island Green CIR Penhook, VA. Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight built a tea house at the top of Fannette Island in Emerald Bay State Some parts of the structure contain no nails or spikes, as a result of old . And in this episode, Huell visits three of the most fascinating of these rocks. [1] She became one of the wealthiest women in America according to newspapers at the time. In the summer, when guests would visit her at her castle on the shore of Emerald Bay, called Vikingsholm, the butler would row her and her friends across the bay to the island for tea time. Timber was hand-hewn, though Mrs. Knight specifically demanded that the footprint of her house be built around the old-growth trees on the property. The history of the castle and its visionary, Lora Josephine Knight, is fascinating. Her father Edward A. The California landmark is one of the finest Scandinavian structures located outside of the Nordic countries. Many communities were interested in Licks $2 million estate and several protested the Tahoe location insisting that they were better suited for an observatory than the snowbound lake. In 1928, Mrs. Knight had her mind firmly set on Emerald Bay to build her castle of the sky. She gave the family who owned the land an offer they couldnt refuse. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Breakfast was at 8 a.m. sharp, but afterwards, time was for the taking to read, hike up to the waterfalls or go fishing off the dock, Smith said. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. He too had development plans that never materialized and in 1953 donated the land and buildings to the State of California for compensation of half the properties value ($125,000). Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. [1][2] They also owned homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. Afternoon Hike in D.L. In the 1960s, the property was vandalized, especially the teahouse, which is now only four rock walls and empty squares for windows. This spectacular site was originally built to be the summer residence of Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. 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. 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. Von Schmidt chose a site 300 feet above Lake Tahoe on the Chinquapin point, renaming it Observatory Point in anticipation. They built the mansion using construction methods from as far back as the 11th century. Their Wisconsin chateau boasted 27 rooms, a wine cellar and a two-lane bowling alley. Pieces of wood resembling spikes adorn the gutters in a nod to the Scandinavian custom people used to ward off evil spirits. He had planned to make the area into a development for Hollywood elite, but the plan never materialized and he sold the property to Harvey West. Emerald Bay State Park, South Lake Tahoe, Ca.. Editor's note: This story originally ran in January 2021. This marriage was not successful, and they were divorced prior to the building of Vikingsholm. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Lora Knight (110560461)? 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 summer retreat Vikingsholm, for which she is most known. Louis. He was 25. Experienced and knowledgeable guides take you on a 30-minute touryou'll learn about owner Lora Josephine Knight, who thought that Emerald Bay resembled the fjords. The estate is also considered to be one of the best examples of Scandinavian architecture on the continent. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. By the 1870s Lick was in poor health, but still fiercely determined to build the observatory. 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. Inspired by 11th century Nordic churches and castles, Knight commissioned detailed wood carvings to be placed throughout the interior and exterior. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. For as long as I can remember, Ive been fascinated by the mysterious widow who built the castle at Emerald Bay. Apparently, she chose the Scandinavian motif because she had admired Palmes own Scandinavian-designed home in New York. She also happened to have a Swedish architect for a nephew. Pieces of wood resembling spikes adorn the gutters in a nod to the Scandinavian custom people used to ward off evil spirits. With her first husband, she had a 27-room estate at Lake Geneva, a retreat for Midwestern tycoons, according to the Chicago Tribune. Eight years before her marriage to Harry Knight, Mrs. Josephine Moore purchased the land at Chinquapin from descendants of Lake Tahoe timber baron Duane L. Bliss. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. There was a boathouse for Knights largest boat, a beautiful mahogany cabin cruiser named the Valkyrie. Carved dragon heads are common as both interior and exterior decorations, as they were used in old Viking castles to divide the main room between the chieftain and his most honored guests from the women and children. Lora and her husband, James, traveled extensively in California and to foreign countries. Many remember her because of her generous . Search above to list available cemeteries. Lindbergh approached the Knights about helping fund his effort to be the first to fly nonstop across the Atlantic at a St. Louis airfield where Harry, an aspiring aviator, was taking flying lessons. 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.. Lora was the only heir to his estate, which was rumored at the time to be worth as much as $100 million (though Lora told the San Francisco Chronicle in 1921 that it was "nearer one-tenth that sum"). But Vikingsholm is the house that Lora will always be known for. 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. Von Schmidt chose a site 300 feet above Lake Tahoe on the Chinquapin point, renaming it Observatory Point in anticipation. Death 26 Jun 1945 (aged 81) Fresno, Fresno County, California, USA. . Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Learn more about merges. Please enter your email and password to sign in. 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. Historic Vikingsholm Castle offers one of the most spectacular views of Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay - one of the most photographed bays in the world. . 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. This "summer" home was built on 239 acres of land purchased by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight for $250,000 in 1928. Pieces of wood resembling spikes adorn the gutters in a nod to the Scandinavian custom people used to ward off evil spirits. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. 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. Lora Knight commissioned Lennart Palme, a Swedish architect whom she was related to by marriage, to design Vikingsholm. Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight later constructed Vikingsholm, an exquisite 38-room castle on the Emerald Bay shores, in 1928-1929. Her father was a corporate lawyer who partnered with two brothers, William Henry Moore and James Hobart Moore. 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. 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