Flat Top Manor
Encyclopedia
Flat Top Manor, as it is known to the locals, is also referred to as Moses Cone Manor, Moses Cone Estate, the Moses H. Cone Mansion, or just Flat Top. On the Blue Ridge Parkway
it is located at Milepost 294 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina
. To most people that travel the Parkway it is simply the Parkway Craft Center, which is the major component of the manor house. It is open to the public from spring through fall and gets over 225,000 visitors annually.
It was built by Moses H. Cone
and his wife Bertha at the turn of the twentieth century. Its construction was started in 1899 and finished in 1901. It has twenty-three rooms and 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²) of living space.
When Moses began acquiring land in the 1890s in the Blowing Rock area to build the house, he emulated George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate
in Asheville, North Carolina
. Newspaper reporters of the time referred to these builders as "Farmer Cone" and "Farmer Vanderbilt". In 1898 Moses announced he was going to build a mansion in Blowing Rock that cost $25,000 when $200 would buy a habitable home in the area.
The mansion is named "Flat Top" manor because of the nearness to Flat Top Mountain, which Moses and Bertha also purchased. It is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains
. The elevation in this area where the house is built is just at 4500 feet (1,371.6 m), while Grandfather Mountain
, which is only a few miles to the south, has an elevation of nearly 6000 feet (1,828.8 m). Moses used his estate to showcase his knowledge of scientific farming. It had extensive orchards, gardens and livestock. When the Blue Ridge Parkway came through and the government took over the property several buildings on the land. These included houses for workers, a building where washing took place, and a single lane bowling alley. The bowling alley was located in a small building that resembled a elongated outhouse. Only men used the bowling alley, they would roll the ball down the lane and have to walk down the lane themselves to retrieve the ball and set the pins back up. To stop the ball a large bear skin hung at on the back wall. One small story about the apple orchards was that the one farthest from the house was known as "China" because "it was on the other side of the world."
The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
that contains the mansion is located between Milepost 292 and 295. The house is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. The first floor contains a Craft Center operated by the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild. It also has a National Park Service
information desk and a book store. There are tours given by Park Rangers of the second story of the mansion. A visitor can sit in a rocking chair
on the large veranda or walk the nearby self-guiding trail to the side of the manor house. The hike around Bass Lake is the most popular. The Craft Center inside the mansion features a gift shop and a craft-person's workshop where various arts and crafts
(i.e. pottery, wood craving, textiles, painting, drawing, needlepoint, crocheting) are demonstrated often.
The mansion's architectural style is Victorian
neo
-Colonial. and is an example of Colonial Revival construction of large white columns, leaded glass windows, and dormers on top of the house. At the turn of the twentieth century building the mansion with gaslights, a telephone, and central heating system was not an easy task. Building materials were hauled by horse drawn wagons from the railhead in Lenoir, North Carolina
, a distance of over 20 miles (32.2 km). This was the way all the fine furnishings and decorative items were brought in also to the mansion.
Moses's sisters, Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta Cone, were art collectors who used some of their family's textile fortune to amass a premier collection of modern art. Their friend Gertrude Stein
once visited Flat Top Manor. The artist Henri Matisse
, another friend, was sent apples as a gift from the Cones that came from the estate property. The Cone Collection, with its extensive collection of Matisse and other works, is today housed in a special wing of the Baltimore Museum of Art
.
Flat Top Manor was a filming location for the movie "The Green Mile".
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. It runs for 469 miles , mostly along the famous Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains...
it is located at Milepost 294 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Blowing Rock is a town in North Carolina, USA, situated in both Caldwell and Watauga counties. The population was 1,418 at the 2000 census. However, during the summer the town's population increases to about 10,000.]]\\...
. To most people that travel the Parkway it is simply the Parkway Craft Center, which is the major component of the manor house. It is open to the public from spring through fall and gets over 225,000 visitors annually.
It was built by Moses H. Cone
Moses H. Cone
Moses Herman Cone was an American textile entrepreneur, conservationist, and philanthropist of the Gilded Age who was active in the southern United States...
and his wife Bertha at the turn of the twentieth century. Its construction was started in 1899 and finished in 1901. It has twenty-three rooms and 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²) of living space.
When Moses began acquiring land in the 1890s in the Blowing Rock area to build the house, he emulated George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore House is a Châteauesque-styled mansion near Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately-owned home in the United States, at and featuring 250 rooms...
in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
. Newspaper reporters of the time referred to these builders as "Farmer Cone" and "Farmer Vanderbilt". In 1898 Moses announced he was going to build a mansion in Blowing Rock that cost $25,000 when $200 would buy a habitable home in the area.
The mansion is named "Flat Top" manor because of the nearness to Flat Top Mountain, which Moses and Bertha also purchased. It is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
. The elevation in this area where the house is built is just at 4500 feet (1,371.6 m), while Grandfather Mountain
Grandfather Mountain
Grandfather Mountain is a mountain, a non-profit attraction, and a North Carolina state parknear Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet , it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major chains of the Appalachian Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway...
, which is only a few miles to the south, has an elevation of nearly 6000 feet (1,828.8 m). Moses used his estate to showcase his knowledge of scientific farming. It had extensive orchards, gardens and livestock. When the Blue Ridge Parkway came through and the government took over the property several buildings on the land. These included houses for workers, a building where washing took place, and a single lane bowling alley. The bowling alley was located in a small building that resembled a elongated outhouse. Only men used the bowling alley, they would roll the ball down the lane and have to walk down the lane themselves to retrieve the ball and set the pins back up. To stop the ball a large bear skin hung at on the back wall. One small story about the apple orchards was that the one farthest from the house was known as "China" because "it was on the other side of the world."
The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park is a country estate in honor of Moses H. Cone in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. It is on the Blue Ridge Parkway between mileposts 292 and 295 with access at Milepost 294. Most locals call it Cone Park. The park is run by the National Park Service and is open to the...
that contains the mansion is located between Milepost 292 and 295. The house is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. The first floor contains a Craft Center operated by the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild. It also has a National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
information desk and a book store. There are tours given by Park Rangers of the second story of the mansion. A visitor can sit in a rocking chair
Rocking chair
A rocking chair or rocker is a type of chair with two curved bands of wood attached to the bottom of the legs . The chair contacts with the floor at only two points, giving the occupant the ability to rock back and forth by shifting his/her weight or pushing lightly with his/her feet...
on the large veranda or walk the nearby self-guiding trail to the side of the manor house. The hike around Bass Lake is the most popular. The Craft Center inside the mansion features a gift shop and a craft-person's workshop where various arts and crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
(i.e. pottery, wood craving, textiles, painting, drawing, needlepoint, crocheting) are demonstrated often.
The mansion's architectural style is Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
neo
Neo
Neo is a prefix from the ancient Greek word for young "neos" which derived from the Proto-Indo European word for new "néwos".Neo may refer to:* Neo , the protagonist of the Matrix film series...
-Colonial. and is an example of Colonial Revival construction of large white columns, leaded glass windows, and dormers on top of the house. At the turn of the twentieth century building the mansion with gaslights, a telephone, and central heating system was not an easy task. Building materials were hauled by horse drawn wagons from the railhead in Lenoir, North Carolina
Lenoir, North Carolina
Lenoir is a city in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,228 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County. Lenoir is located in the Blue Ridge foothills. The city also contains the Brushy Mountains, a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains...
, a distance of over 20 miles (32.2 km). This was the way all the fine furnishings and decorative items were brought in also to the mansion.
Moses's sisters, Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta Cone, were art collectors who used some of their family's textile fortune to amass a premier collection of modern art. Their friend Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...
once visited Flat Top Manor. The artist Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
, another friend, was sent apples as a gift from the Cones that came from the estate property. The Cone Collection, with its extensive collection of Matisse and other works, is today housed in a special wing of the Baltimore Museum of Art
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, was founded in 1914. Built in the Roman Temple style, the Museum is home to an internationally renowned collection of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art. Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the BMA today has 90,000 works...
.
Flat Top Manor was a filming location for the movie "The Green Mile".