The Second Story

| Flower Roberts

I have been going to the Cone Estate outside Blowing Rock, NC for decades.

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This was my second trip upstairs.

My first was years ago. My camera battery died at the top of the steps. Hi, Ho!

My sister and friend, CP, lucked up on it being open while we were there.

It was like winning the lottery.  My camera had a full battery, too.

There is a book about this estate, A Mansion in the Mountains, by Philip T. Noblitt.

This book started as his graduate thesis. If you love the place, you will love the book.

The second floor has lovely details.

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Photos of Moses and Bertha Cone and other family portraits are scattered around in the rooms.

The sisters have a famous art collection on display in Baltimore.IMG_5353

There were several tour guides sharing fascinating details.

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I was happy to see some renovations in progress.

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The bottom floor has local art and a book store.

A featured artist sets up in the covered porch on weekends to demonstrate crafts.

That will be my next post. The art was magical.

I will end with a view from the second story window.

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Below is Bass lake and the newly renovated “Heart Pond.”

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I have walked here many times.

This place is a dream.

FLOWER

 

 

13 thoughts on “The Second Story”

      2. I looked it up. It said Moses Cone followed the leads of Olmstead at Biltmore, but had no Olmstead to lay it out. They give credit for the road design to the architect named Epps. Later someone named Mulford was hired. That’s all I know.

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      3. Interesting, Moses Cone was a smart guy. I can tell you laying out those roads would be very difficult. (I worked for civil engineers for years) Did you read the National Park Service stuff?

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    1. That bath was put in in the early 1900’s. They were decades ahead of others in the area. It is a peaceful and beautiful place. Cone Estate is a national park, so visiting is free. I have been many times.

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  4. Love that old Victorian shower! It looks kind of torturous, and reminds me that those were the days, where they had very strict ideas of what was good for you – air exchanges, temperatures etc. Staying healthy was more of an ordeal than pleasant.

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    1. I rented an apartment in a big old house that had a tub/shower like that while in graduate school. The elderly female owner would “cut through” the bathroom while I was in that circle of a shower curtain. I was a very private person and this always startled me. I think she was a bit senile. I loved the house though.

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