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. In 1922, Lora Moore married Harry French Knight, a stockbroker. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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"). There was a boathouse for Knights largest boat, a beautiful mahogany cabin cruiser named the Valkyrie. In 1922, Lora married Harry French Knight. She loved Scandinavian architecture and Emerald Bay reminded her of a Norwegian fjord with its steep surrounding slopes and deep blue water. There is a single-lane dirt road that connects Vikingsholm with Highway 89. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. The over 70-foot long Bleu Wave carries up to 50 passengers and includes a private lounge, fireplace and more. Mrs. Knight and her husband were also backers of Charles Lindbergh's 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Lake Geneva, Walworth County, . The horse stable housed 60 thoroughbreds. It was there in 1914 that Moore built a charming lakefront estate that she called Wychwood. 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. Loras marriage to Harry Knight didnt last for more than a couple of years before they divorced. . Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. The roof of the north and south wings is topped with sod where grass and flowers grow each spring. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. 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. Small, was a corporate lawyer who accepted two . Harry was an amateur pilot and Harry and Laura were among Charles Lindberghs major donors for his solo Atlantic flight. A sod roof was installed on the north and south wings, so that grasses and wildflowers could grow. In 1922, Lora Moore married Harry French Knight, a stockbroker. Drugs were suspected. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. In Santa Barbara, Knight built a 22,000-square-foot villa on the hillside of Montecito. 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. The widowed heiress is Lora Josephine Knight. His nationally reported death led to a crackdown on Chicago brothels and morphine abuse. She then purchased 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 Josephine Knight (1 May 1864 - 26 June 1945) was a philanthropist from California who was at one time one of the wealthiest women in America according to newspaper reports. She enjoyed the property for years, until her passing in 1945. Lora and her sister Ada married two brothers, William and James Moore, who worked as partners in their fathers law firm. She was born Lora Josephine Small in Galena, Illinois, in 1864 - one of a family of four daughters and one son. 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. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. He too had development plans that never materialized and in 1953 donated the . During the summer months she would take guests to the island for high tea. 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. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "lorajosephineknight" Flickr tag. Finnish carpenters were then brought in to hew timber, while a Scandinavian craftsman was hired to create the intricate exterior wood carvings. For as long as I can remember, Ive been fascinated by the mysterious widow who built the castle at Emerald Bay. [2][7], In 1927, she divorced Harry Knight, charging him with "extreme cruelty. Von Schmidt chose a site 300 feet above Lake Tahoe on the Chinquapin point, renaming it Observatory Point in anticipation. It was built in a single summer. Knight spent 15 summers at Vikingsholm. Mrs. Knight had traveled Scandinavia with her architect where they were inspired by the architecture. Thanks for your help! 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. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Lora Small (Knight) was born in Galena, Illinois, in 1864 of English descent. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. 11 of 25 11. Palme and Knight traveled to Scandinavia that summer to research the design features that would be incorporated into her Tahoe castle. But Vikingsholm is the house that Lora will always be known for. Summer days at Vikingsholm were relaxed, with a bit of structure. 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. [2] Her charitable contributions included youth groups, community centers, and college scholarships. Despite its ancient motif, Vikingsholm had all the conveniences available in the 1930s, including electricity, modern fixtures and private baths in the bedrooms. 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. In the 1960s, the property was vandalized, especially the teahouse, which is now only four rock walls and empty squares for windows. Lora Josephine Knight was a philanthropist from California who was at one time one of the wealthiest women in America according to newspaper reports. 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. At his 21st birthday party, all of the guests were given pearl necklaces. Oak Hill Cemetery. 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. Please reset your password. He was 25. Her first lakefront mansion was called Wychwood and was just north of Dollar Point, where the Chinquapin condominiums are today. 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. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. They also spent time at their luxury homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. [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. 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. In 1928 Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight. It was the first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory in the world and for nearly 10 years its telescope was the largest ever built. Verify and try again. The natural setting of Lake Tahoe reminded her of Northern Europe. They also spent time at their luxury homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, they were not happy together and divorced after just a couple of years. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Apparently, she chose the Scandinavian motif because she had admired Palmes own Scandinavian-designed home in New York. 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. There is a single-lane dirt road that connects Vikingsholm with Highway 89. Subscribe to Envato Elements for unlimited Stock Video downloads for a single monthly fee. There was a problem getting your location. "[8] She risked losing her entire fortune from her first marriage as part of the divorce. 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. Today, Lora Knights Viking castle is considered perhaps the finest example of Scandinavian architecture in North America. [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. 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. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. . Failed to report flower. McLaughlin says the replicas were so exact, Knight even had the ages of the wood matched and scratch marks on the original copied. Looking out into Emerald Bay, it's easy to feel transported to Europe. 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. Wildlife have several strategies to endure Lake Tahoes winters, Steeped in old town Truckee history, Moodys serves up innovative cuisine, Earn your turns: Tahoe Backcountry Alliance encourages stewardship, accessibility to backcountry, The art of charcuteski: Craft an on-mountain dining experience with the skis that got you there. But in 1910, Nathaniel suddenly died. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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. [9] Vikingsholm eventually became part of Emerald Bay State Park. James Hobart Moore passed away in 1916 at their home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Lora and her husband, James, traveled extensively in California as to foreign countries. They visited Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden drawing inspiration for centuries old buildings and castles.. Construction of Vikingsholm began in the fall of 1928. Knight had become acquaintances with the Armstrongs through church affiliations and after the purchase she would build her majestic Vikingsholm the following year. 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. Try again later. 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. Emerald Bay reminded her of fjords she had seen on numerous travels to Scandinavia. The only island on Lake Tahoe, Fannette island hosts a small stone structure that was once the tea house of Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, the owner of Vikingsholm. As fate would have it, Lora married James and her sister Ada married William. Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. They visited Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as they inspected buildings dating back 1,000 years. 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. Try again. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Lora married James and her sister married William. The widowed heiress is Lora Josephine Knight. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. 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. One could and still can only get to the island by boat, kayaks or canoes. They also spent time at their luxury homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. But since then, the state park has preserved Vikingsholm, and Knights legacy, for hundreds of thousands of visitors who arrive every year. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Hunt also designed the Rose Bowl. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Sorry! 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. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. 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.. Work on the home ceased at first snowfall in the . Nearly all of the materials were sourced on site or nearby. The Vikingsholm castle greets visitors to Emerald Bay. Harry met Charles Lindbergh on the St. Louis airfield, according to historian Mark McLaughlin. Scandinavia comes to Lake Tahoe at a historic home. In Galena, Illinois, in 1864 - one of a memorial easy! Her Tahoe castle the natural setting of Lake Tahoe reminded her of fjords she had admired Palmes own Scandinavian-designed in... They divorced mysterious widow who built the castle at Emerald Bay State Park his. The wealthiest women in America according to historian Mark mclaughlin traveled Scandinavia with her architect where they not... 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