For 32 years, the Armstrong family had spent long, golden summers along the shores of Emerald Bay. Mrs. Knight had it graded in 1929 for $10,000 so that she and her guests could arrive by automobile. She built a castle on the island and served tea to her visitors. 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. Helen Smith was a frequent guest. One could and still can only get to the island by boat, kayaks or canoes. She died there in 1945 at the age of 82. Your email address will not be published. She spent 15 summers in the house and, along with her numerous guests, enjoyed the nature, wildlife and peaceful tranquility of the estate until her death in 1945. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Your email address will not be published. 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. . Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? A curious man, Lick had always been interested in astronomy. 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. Sorry! To build it, she hired Swedish architect Lennart Palme, her nephew by marriage. 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. His nationally reported death led to a crackdown on Chicago brothels and morphine abuse. Lora Josephine Knight's 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 cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. After their purchase of the Tahoe property, James health began to fail and he died in 1916, leaving Lora an estate worth $15 million. What used to be Mrs. Knight and a few guests has now turned into 2.5 . In 1922, Lora Moore married Harry French Knight, a stockbroker. The trailhead to the late Lora Josephine Knight's '20s-era holiday home looks deceptively summery, but remnants of one of the region's longest winters-it snowed on June 6- has all but eliminated typical mid-June activities. Mrs. Knight had Vikingsholm built for her as a summer home in 1929. Today, Lora Knight's Viking castle is considered perhaps the . 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. "[8] She risked losing her entire fortune from her first marriage as part of the divorce. . He was a stockbroker in St. Louis, Missouri, and an aspiring pilot. Unfortunately, they were not happy together and divorced after just a couple of years. She made financial contributions stretching from Santa Barbara, CA, to Reno, NV, and went toward youth groups, community centers, and college scholarships. In summer months, you can tour the castle to discover what led the original owner, Lora Josephine Knight, in 1928 to make her summer home an ode to Scandinavian architecture, down to the sod roofs and six fireplaces. Despite the expense and effort, the tea house was rarely used, even though Lora spent all her summers at Vikingsholm until her death in 1945. 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 had a life-long reputation for her generous hospitality, philanthropy and numerous financial contributions to youth groups in California and Nevada. 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 . Specifically: Private Memorial Memorial ID 110560461 . [1] He won a gold medal in the 1904 Summer Olympics as part of American golf team, and was known for his lavish parties, but died at 25 in 1910 after a night in "Chicago's most famous and expensive house of prostitution," which made national news and led to a citywide crackdown on brothels and morphine abuse in Chicago. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Lora Knight (110560461)? You can learn more about the property and all of its secrets during a guided tour. The castle was constructed as a summer home for the very wealthy Lora Josephine Knight. Lick leaned toward Von Schmidts recommendation, but the dying benefactor designated a committee to make the final decision. Knight spent 15 summers at Vikingsholm. This marriage was not successful, and they were divorced prior to the building of Vikingsholm. In 1922, Lora Moore married Harry French Knight, a stockbroker. They built the mansion using construction methods from as far back as the 11th century. Harry met Charles Lindbergh on the St. Louis airfield, according to historian Mark McLaughlin. Work on the home ceased at first snowfall in the winter of 1928 and was started up again in the spring of 1929. The locally quarried granite boulders were ferried by barge to the island where derricks lifted them stone by stone. Summer days at Vikingsholm were relaxed, with a bit of structure. Although their marriage was short-lived, Lora and Harry Knight were among the small group of St. Louis, Missouri, businessmen who were the principal financial backers of Charles Lindberghs famed 1927 flight across the Atlantic from New York to Paris. During the 1920s, Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight had Vikingsholm built, as well as the Tea House on Fannette Island. Her father Edward A. Vikingsholm Castle is a 38-room mansion on the shore of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. Everyone heads for Emerald Bay, with its waterfall, beach and famed Scandinavian mansion, Vikingsholm, built in 1928 by Lora Josephine Knight and open for tours. Illinois, USA. 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. Soon after, Lindbergh approached the Knights to fund his groundbreaking trans-Atlantic flight. In later years, Lindberg frequently visited Lora at her various estates including Vikingsholm. Tahoe historian Mark McLaughlinis a nationally published author and professional speaker and former freelance writer for Tahoe Magazine. After traveling to Scandinavia Mrs. Knight along with her architect returned to the Lake Tahoe area and started construction on the Castle with ideas they gathered on their European tour. Lora Josephine Knight purchased the property encompassing the head of Emerald Bay and Fannette Island in 1928 for $250,000. Not a lot to do there, except hike up to the Tea House and take some photos. Despite the expense and effort, the tea house was rarely used, even though Lora spent all her summers at Vikingsholm until her death in 1945. The house is available for guided tours . Before starting construction of the summer home late that year, Mrs. Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the construction of the house. 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. Make sure that the file is a photo. Lora had a life-long reputation for her generous hospitality, philanthropy and numerous financial contributions to youth groups in California and Nevada. Search above to list available cemeteries. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. LORA J. KNIGHT. After years of bickering, the Lick Observatory was finally constructed in 1888 on Mount Hamilton east of San Jose. Stones were quarried from the back of their property, where Eagle Falls spills over granite cliffs. One newspaper article, published in the Reno Gazette Journal, said Nathaniel was lavish with money. He once invited a few friends to Broadway and hosted a $20,000 dinner. Nearly all of the materials were sourced on site or nearby. In 1873, engineer Alexis Von Schmidt recommended the site for the proposed James Lick Astronomical Observatory that would house the worlds most powerful space telescope. It was originally constructed to be the summer residence of Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight who had been impressed by her architect nephew's Nordic-inspired home in New York. In the 1950's after Lora Josephine Knight died, the castle was sold to Harvey West, which is a name you probably recognize if you've spent some time around Lake Tahoe. After Edward Smalls death, William and James took over the firm and formed the Moore Brothers partnership. In the 1960s, the property was vandalized, especially the teahouse, which is now only four rock walls and empty squares for windows. 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. In total, construction of Vikingsholm was estimated to cost $500,000. 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. Burial Burial Details Unknown. 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. 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. It is known as 'Tahoe's Hidden Castle' and draws thousands of curious visitors each year. Required fields are marked *. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Louis. The legacy of Lora Knight and why Vikingsholm is one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in North America. This spectacular site was originally built to be the summer residence of Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight. Knight, a prominent philanthropist and backer of Charles Lindbergh's historic 1927 transatlantic flight, was inspired by her frequent European travels . During construction of the main house Lora turned her attention to Fannette Island in the middle of Emerald Bay. Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news. I often visit Emerald Bay to go hiking. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Vikingsholm's design includes mortar-embedded granite boulders, hand hewn timbers, church entrance-like hand carvings, roof ridge carvings with dragon heads crossing at roof peaks, and a sod roof. Lora Josephine Knight wasn't Scandinavian herself, however; she was born as Lora Josephine Small in Illinois in 1864, and her family claimed English descent. [1][2] They also owned homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. By the 1870s Lick was in poor health, but still fiercely determined to build the observatory. The castle was built in 1929 and commissioned by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, who drew similarities between Lake Tahoe and the fjords of Scandinavia. [1][2][5][6] Lindbergh even stayed at the Knight's house the night before his flight. Vikingsholm Castle was build as the summer home of millionaire heiress Lora Josephine Knight in 1929. According to McLaughlin, Lora Knight was known for her hospitality and philanthropy. She enjoyed the property for years, until her passing in 1945. In early 1916 they bought a home near Santa Barbara hoping that the mild Mediterranean climate might improve his condition, but he died on July 20, 1916, leaving Lora an estate worth $15 million. GREAT NEWS! Lora and her husband, James, traveled extensively in California and to foreign countries. 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. From there they strolled back down to Vikingsholm.. For as long as I can remember, Ive been fascinated by the mysterious widow who built the castle at Emerald Bay. The locally quarried granite boulders were ferried by barge to the island where derricks lifted them stone by stone. The park is also, oddly, the home of Vikingsholm, a replica of a Scandinavian castle. In order to preserve the natural environment of Emerald Bay, Knight insisted that local Tahoe materials be used with the exception of the leaded windows with pastel stained-glass panes imported from Sweden. It was there in 1914 that Moore built a charming lakefront estate that she called Wychwood. Her "Castle in the Sky" features intricate . Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight chose Emerald Bay to build her castle, 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 . Thanks for your help! Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. She's best remembered today for building Vikingsholm, a Scandinavian-inspired castle along the shores of Lake Tahoe, as a summer home in 1928. Impressed by her architect nephew Lennart Palme's Nordic-inspired home in New York, Mrs. Knight travelled to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and . For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. He was 25. Looking out into Emerald Bay, it's easy to feel transported to Europe. Set off on the steep trail down to the lakeside. Visitors, like Conn, sometimes leave . Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, USA. Lora Josephine Knight's 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. "A woman ahead of her time, who was remarkable: Forward thinking, generous, and resourceful. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. PHOTO: u local. 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 . Castle on the shore of Emerald Bay, it & # x27 ; s Viking castle a... 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