The scenery around Emerald Bay reminded her of Norway, so she chose a Scandinavian architectural style for the house. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. The locally quarried granite boulders were ferried by barge to the island where derricks lifted them stone by stone. Emerald Bay State Park, South Lake Tahoe, Ca.. Editor's note: This story originally ran in January 2021. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Failed to remove flower. Harry and Lora were divorced in 1928 and Lora Knight sold her Lakefront estate in Chinquapin to Robert Stanley Dollar Sr., a wealthy San Francisco businessman. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Lora Josephine Small Knight I found on Findagrave.com. In later years, Charles Lindbergh frequently visited Lora Knight at her Santa Barbara estate and the Vikingsholm castle as well. In later years, Charles Lindbergh frequently visited Lora Knight at her Santa Barbara estate and the Vikingsholm castle as well. She then commissioned Lennart Palme, a Swedish architect to whom she was related by marriage, to design Vikingsholm. They also spent time at their luxury homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. Vikingsholm Castle . Architect Palme estimated the projects total cost at $500,000. EDITORS NOTE: This article was originally published in the Summer 2017 edition of Tahoe Magazine. Support timbers were hand hewn and interior wallboard meticulously hand planed, while metal fixtures like fireplace screens, hinges and latches were hand forged on-site. . Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Sometimes government officials did not allow these native heirlooms removed from the country, so Knight had craftsmen reproduce them in exact detail, including the aging of the wood and even mimicking scratches on the originals. I highly recommend taking a tour if at all possible, but if that doesn't work for you logistically, still hike down and marvel at its exterior, as well as the views from lake level of Emerald Bay. Astronomers suggested that a high-altitude mountain location above atmospheric dust and away from city light would be the best location. Search. 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 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. [4][10], "The legacy of Lora Knight and why Vikingsholm is one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in North America", "The mysterious castle in Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay", "The History of Lora Knight and Her Vikingsholm", "Vikingsholm: A Brief History (Nordic Castle at Emerald Bay)", "The mysteries and stories of the Harry F. Knight House", "LORA J. KNIGHT; Former Wife of Stock Broker, Financed Lindbergh Flight", "GETS DIVORCE IN RENO COURT California Digital Newspaper Collection", "Clipping from Reno Gazette-Journal - Newspapers.com", "Historic Vikingsholm at Emerald Bay always in need of attention, support", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lora_Josephine_Knight&oldid=1101022867, This page was last edited on 28 July 2022, at 22:31. At his 21st birthday party, all of the guests were given pearl necklaces. Lora Small was born in Galena, Illinois, in 1864. Try again later. She died there in 1945 at the age of 82. 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. But since then, the state park has preserved Vikingsholm, and Knights legacy, for hundreds of thousands of visitors who arrive every year. But the story of Mrs. Knight and her Vikingsholm stand apart from the rest. I imagined they wore summer dresses, carried parasols and sipped tea out of fine china, while enjoying Emerald Bays glory all by themselves. Today, Lora Knight's Viking castle is considered perhaps the . Scandinavia comes to Lake Tahoe at a historic home. . Get into more larger-than-life Lake Tahoe history on a tour of Vikingsholm Castle, the summer home of Lora Josephine Knight, a wealthy heiress and widow who used her fortune to build a 38-room Scandinavian-style mansion on Emerald Bay, which reminded her of the fjords she'd seen on trips to Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Their Wisconsin chateau boasted 27 rooms, a wine cellar and a two-lane bowling alley. 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. Inspired by Scandinavian architecture and 11th century Nordic churches and castles, widowed heiress Lora Josephine Knight built Vikingsholm in 1929. For weekly updates, interviews and profiles from a Tahoe insider, sign up for our Tahoe newsletter here. 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. 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.. There was an error deleting this problem. For great images click the Photo Gallery just above the map below. The locally quarried granite boulders were ferried by barge to the island where derricks lifted them stone by stone. 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. Before starting construction, Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the house. 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. Rocks in Water - California's Gold (803) We're talking about rocks in the water! Knight spent 15 summers at Vikingsholm. His body was taken to the Moore home, to Lora, in a private ambulance. Specifically: Private Memorial Memorial ID 110560461 . 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. Resend Activation Email. It was the first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory in the world and for nearly 10 years its telescope was the largest ever built. Finnish carpenters were then brought in to hew timber, while a Scandinavian craftsman was hired to create the intricate exterior wood carvings. She had inherited a fortune from her first husband. [5], In 1924, the Knights hired Myron Hunt to build a home they named Cima del Mundo in Santa Barbara, California on the Montecito hillside. Looking out into Emerald Bay, it's easy to feel transported to Europe. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. It was there in 1914 that Moore built a charming lakefront estate that she called Wychwood. Today, Lora Knights Viking castle is considered perhaps the finest example of Scandinavian architecture in North America. The property had a boat house constructed for her mahogany cabin cruiser named Valkyrie and a teahouse constructed on Fannette Island made from bricks cut from local granite. 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. Required fields are marked *. Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, USA. Life was good for the Moores, but after their purchase of the Tahoe property, James health began to fail. 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. Hence the Viking-inspired home on the lake. 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. There is a single-lane dirt road that connects Vikingsholm with Highway 89. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. This marriage was not successful, and they were divorced prior to the building of Vikingsholm. McLaughlin says the replicas were so exact, Knight even had the ages of the wood matched and scratch marks on the original copied. 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. Vikingsholm was built by Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. She exhibited Indian baskets, including some by the noted Washoe weaver Dat-So-La-Lee, also known as Louisa Keyser. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference. 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. Architect Palme estimated the projects total cost at $500,000. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Each day blended into the next, relaxed and unhurried, Smith told the Press Democrat, and began with the sound of swishing sprinklers set up by yardmen in the early morning hours to water the wildflowers that grew in the grasses on the bay side of the house.. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Try again. Your email address will not be published. I've heard stories about the wealthy woman who built the teahouse on the island. Lora Knight filled her castle with original antiques she picked up in Scandinavia. Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight built a tea house at the top of Fannette Island in Emerald Bay State Park. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Search for: Browse by Date Despite its ancient motif, Vikingsholm had all the conveniences available in the 1930s, including electricity, modern fixtures and private baths in the bedrooms. 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. James Hobart Moore passed away in 1916 at their home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Work on the home ceased at first snowfall in the winter of 1928 and was started up again in the spring of 1929. The bridge was not the only major . Construction on the castle began in the spring of 1929 and proceeded quickly as 200 workmen and artisans, housed in temporary barracks, quarried nearby stone and cut lumber. She filled the house with original Scandinavian antiques and replicas she commissioned from artisans. It is an enjoyable little kayak excursion to the island. Try again later. $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 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). Lora and her husband, James, traveled extensively in California as to foreign countries. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. It was there in 1914 that Moore built a charming lakefront estate that she called Wychwood. For 32 years, the Armstrong family had spent long, golden summers along the shores of Emerald Bay. 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. Inside, Knight decorated and furnished with antiques she purchased and shipped from Scandinavia. They traveled across Scandinavia for research and inspiration before laying the foundation in the late summer of 1928 for Vikingsholm. [1][2][3][4], In 1884, the two had a son, Nathaniel Moore, who later married Helen Fargo, heiress to the Wells Fargo fortune. Lick leaned toward Von Schmidts recommendation, but the dying benefactor designated a committee to make the final decision. But nature is the real draw. The home features an impressive 38 rooms and gives details about the history of the area and the owner of the estate, Lora Josephine Knight. His award-winning books are available at local stores or atwww.thestormking.com. Emerald Bay reminded her of fjords she had seen on numerous travels to Scandinavia.

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