Biltmore House

in Buncombe County

Asheville, North Carolina

..completed in 1895..

The Biltmore House was added to the National Register of Historic Places 

on

October 15, 1966

The estate was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and remains a major tourist attraction in western NC with around 1.4 million visitors each year.

Circa 1900

George Washington Vanderbilt II

(1862-1914)

George Washington Vanderbilt II was an American art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family which amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads and various business enterprises.  George was the youngest child of William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam.  As the youngest child, George was said to be his father's favorite and his constant companion.  In his later years, he traveled extensively and became fluent in several languages. 

In the 1880s, at the height of the Gilded Age, George Washington Vanderbilt II began to make regular visits with his mother, Maria to the Asheville area.  He loved the scenery and climate so much he decided to build a sumer house in the area which he called "his mountain escape".  His older brothers and sisters had bilt luxurioius summer homes in places such as Newport, Rhode Island, the Gold Coast of Long Island and Hyde Park, New York. Vanderbilt named his estate Biltmore from the Dutch town of his ancestors named Bildt and the English word more which refers to rolling, mountainous countryside.  It remains America's largest private residence with 250 rooms, including a palatial dining room, a library with more than 23,000 volumes, a bowling alley, a 70,000-gallon indoor swimming pool and servants' quarters.

Vanderbilt eventually bought 125,000 acres of land and hired the best artisans and environmental experts in the world to create his massive Biltmore Estate.  He employed architect, Richard Morris Hunt* to design a limestone house with up to four acres of floor space, this is believed to be the largest domestic dwelling ever constructed in the United States. 

*Richard Morris Hunt helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance facade and Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Fifth Avenue building and the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty plus many Fifth Avenue mansions since destroyed. 

Construction of the Biltmore began in 1889.  In order to facilitate such a large project, a woodworking factory and brick kiln, which produced 32,000 bricks a day, were built onsite.  A 3-mile railroad spur was constructed to bring materials to the building site.  Construction on the main house required the labor of about 1,000 workers and 60 stonemasons.  Vanderbilt made extensive trips overseas during construction to purchase decor.  He returned to North Carolina with thousands of furnishings for his newly built home, including tapestries, hundreds of carpets, prints, linens and decorative objects dating from the 15th century to the late 19th century.  Among the few American-made items such as a oak drop-front desk, rocking chairs, and a walnut grand piano.

At Biltmore, Vanderbilt led the life of a country gentleman.  Having a great interest in horticulture, his goal was to run Biltmore as a self-sustaining estate  In 1892, Frederick Law Olmsted suggested Vanderbilt hire Gifford Pinchot to manage the forests on the estate.  Biltmore was the first professionally managed forest in the United States. 

Vanderbilt was known for his generosity toward his employees at Biltmore.  Every year, he held a Christmas celebration for their children, complete with decorated tree and presents for each child, even those who could not make it to the party.  

Vanderbilt passed of complications following an appendectomy in Washington, D.C. He was 51 years of age.  After his passing, Vanderbilt's widow sold approximately 86,000 acres of the Biltmore property to the United States Forest Service at $5 per acre, fulfilling her husband's wishes to create the core of Pisgah National Forest.  

The Vanderbilt's only child, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt married a British aristocrat, the Hon. John Francis Amherst Cecil in 1924.  Their sons, George and William eventually inherited the property.  George chose to inherit the majority of the estate's land. The younger son, William was left with the Biltmore House and he is credited with preserving the chateau.  Of the 8,000 acres that make up Biltmore Estate, only 1.36 acres are within the city limits of Asheville and the Biltmore House is not part of any municipality. 

Cornelia and her father, George

(1900-1976)

Cornelia was an American born heiress and member of the Vanderbilt family who inherited the Biltmore Estate.  She was known for her eccentric behavior. Like her father, Cornelia was passionate about arts and culture.  Her continued interest in becoming an artist motivated her to relocate to New York City.  When the Cecils divorced in 1934, Cornelia left the estate, never to return, but John Cecil maintained his residence in the Bachelor's Wing until his passing in 1954.  

Cornelius and John Cecil

April 29, 1924

Sidenote:  In 1912, George and Edith booked passage on the doomed Titanic, but they changed their plans at the last minute via telephone, instead sailing on the Titanic's sister ship, Olympic.  Olympic left port before the Titanic and the Vanderbilts arrived in New York City before the sinking of the Titanic.  Accounts vary, but it has been suggested that a familly member (reportedly his wife's well-traveled sister) warned the pair from traveling on the Titanic saying "so many things can go wrong on a maiden voyage".  It's possible the warning was acknowledged and heeded.  In a letter to a friend Edith wrote "For no reason whatsoever we decided to sail on the Olympic and had only 18 hours to get ready.  We were homesick and simply felt we must get home and changed our ship at the Eleventh hour!"  Unfortunately, a servant to the Vanderbilts, Frederick Wheeler, perished aboard the Titanic in second class.  Due to the close timing of their switch, the Vanderbilts were forced to leave most of their luggage aboard the Titanic there Wheeler retained his ticket to travel with the luggage.  

 

Bok Tower

1151 Tower Blvd.

Lake Wales, Florida

Bok Tower Gardens is a 250 acre garden and bird sanctuary located atop Iron Mountain.  It was created by Edward William Bok in the 1920s.  The gardens' main attraction is the Singing Tower and its 60 bell carillon.  The Bok Tower architect was Milton B. Medary and the gardens architect was Frederick Law Olmsted's son.  Bok Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places August 21, 1972.  

Bok Tower Gardens is a National Historic Landmark designted April 19, 1993. 

In 1923, Olmsted Jr. embarked on his mission to transform Bok Tower Gardens from a sand hill into one of the nation's most beautiful garden sanctuaries.  For the next five years, Olmsted Jr. and his team diligently planted a mix of native and exotic plants thta would thrive in the humid climate and lend a tropical feel to the native oak hammock.  From a practical perspective, Olmsted also carefully selected plants that would provide a hearty supply of food and shelter for migrating birds and other wildlife in the Gardens. The pathways leading up to the Singing Tower wind through the Olmsted historic landscape gardens.  When visitors reach the top, a majestic view of the entire Tower is revealed in the Reflection Pool, showcasing one of Florida's most photographed sites.  

The 205 foot Singing Tower was build upon one of the highest points of peninsular Florida estimated to be 295 feet above sea level.  The national significance of the gardens and its tower came from its association with Edward Bok and his team of designers.

Edward William Bok

(1863-1930)

At Bok's final resting place at Bok Tower reads this plaque.

    

EDWARD BOK BORN OCTOBER 9, 1863 AT DEN HELDER, THE NETHERLANDS. DIED WITHIN SIGHT OF THIS TOWER JANUARY 9, 1930.  AT HIS REQUEST HIS FAMILY PLACED HIS GRAVE IN THE LAWN IN FRONT OF THE GREAT BRASS DOOR.  COMING TO THE UNITED STATES AS A POOR IMMIGRANT BOY OF SIX, HE ACHIEVED SUCCESS AS A WRITER AND EDITOR.  LATE IN LIFE HE CREATED THE SANCTUARY AS A PLACE OF REPOSE FOR THE HUMAN SPIRIT.  BUILT THE TOWER WITH THE GREAT CARILLON AS ITS CENTRAL ACCENT.  AND PRESENTED THEM TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR VISITATION AS HIS THANKS FOR THE SUCCESS THEY HAD GIVEN HIM.  

In 1925, Bok hired Milton B. Medary to design "the most beautiful tower in the world". The 15 foot wide moat surrounding the tower's base serves as a koi pond.  The Gothic Revival tower sits south of the reflecting pool which reflects its full image. The tower is 51 feet square at its base, changing at the height of 150 feet to an octagon with each of the eight sides 37 feet wide.  It is built of Etowah marble with a characteristic pink, salmon or rose color that comes from quarries near Tate, Georgia and coquina stone from St. Augustine, Florida. Coquina stone can vary in color, but is often a light-colored, porous rock with a granular texture.  The surface texture is often rich with the visible shell fragments. 

Medary assembled a team of top artisans in their fields.  The Art Deco architectural sculpture was designed and executed by Lee Lawrie and depicts Florida flowers.  Metalworker, Samuel Yellin designed and executed the iron interior staircase, the iron gates to the two bridges over the moat and the Great Brass Door which features 30 scenes from the Book of Genesis.  

J. H. Dulles Allen designed and executed the ceramic mosaics including the eight 35-foot tall grilles at the top of the tower.  Horace H. Burrell & Sons of Philadelphia was contractor for the tower.  Construction began in 1927 and was completed two years later. Outgoing President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the tower February 1, 1929.

The American Institute of Architects awarded Medary its 1929 Gold Medal for his Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing tower.  Medary passed six months after the tower's dedication. 

Give to the world the best you have 

and the best will come back to you.

Edward W. Bok

 

"Water Ski Capital of the World"

because 

 many of the sport's landmark firsts 

and the 

over 50 world records were broken there.

 January 2, 1936

Opened

September 23, 2009

Closed

Richard Downing Pope, Sr.

(1900-1988)

As for a man who did it all Mr. Dick Pope, he had a dream larger than life and set forth to create that vision.

Richard Downing Pope, Sr., better known as Dick Pope, was the founder of Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida.  Pope played a key role in the development of tourism in the state of Florida and in the growth of theme parks as tourist destinations.  He was an avid outdoorsman who was a highly accomplished athlete and helped to popularize the sport of water skiing.  He was a member of the first class of inductees into the Water Ski Hall of Fame and a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. 

Pope became interested in water skiing during the 1920s while working with his brother promoting and selling speed boats in Florida.  He began skiing behind the boats as a way to increase exitement during the sales demonstrations.  Soon, he began trying different moves and tricks to increase the excitement.  In 1928, he became the first person to successfully complete a jump on water skis, jumping a wooden ramp and going a distance of 25 ft.  Despite his prowess as a water skier, his real importance to the sport was promoting it.  Pope produced newsreels, films and magazine articles about the water skiing featured at Cypress Gardens. He promoted the sport in media outlets around the world.  His efforts brought the sport international recognition for the first time.

In 1950, Pope hosted the second World Water Ski Championship.  He hosted the event again in 1958.  For many years, his Dixie Water Ski tournament was one of the most important annual water ski competitions.  At the 1964 New York World's Fair, he staged a series of highly successful water skiing exhibitions.  He also staged a water skiing exhibition for a segment on the Ed Sullivan Show. 

Pope worked hard to organize water skiing as a sport.  He served as the American Water Ski Association vice-president for many years and was eventually elected to the position for life. His son, Dick Pope, Jr. was one of the first persons to successfully water ski, barefoot and became a member of the Water Ski Hall of Fame.  Dick Pope and his son are the only father-son pair in the Water Ski Hall of Fame.  Dick Pope, Jr. being inducted in 1989. 

Richard Downing Pope, Jr.

(1930-2007)

Richard Downing Pope, Jr. was just a little boy when his father and mother opened Cypress Gardens.  After water ski shows were introduced to the park during WWII, Pope Jr. became one of the early performers. He appeared in park promotional photos that were distributed and published throughout the world.  In 1948, when he was 18, Pope Jr. was featured skiing barefoot on national television.  Pope Jr. taught the late King Hussein of Jordan how to water ski and developed a lifelong relationship between the Gardens and the Jordanian royal family.  Dick Pope, Jr. was named president of Cypress Gardens in 1962 and helped lead Florida's first theme park until the Pope family sold it in 1985 for $23 million to Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich book publishing company.  They purchased the park to build their SeaWorld parks group which included Boardwalk and Baseball.  Harcourt sold the other businesses to Anheuser-Busch in 1989.  Anheuser-Bush continued to operate Cypress Gardens until April 1, 1995 when a group of the park managers, led by Bill Reynolds, bought the property. Under President and CEO Reynolds, the park operated until April 13, 2003 when it closed after a prolonged tourism decline following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  529 people were put out of work with a three days' notice!

Dick Pope, Sr. referred to himself as the "Grand Poobah of Publicity" and through his efforts, the image of Florida as the playground for sun and fun spread around the world. He is credited with single-handedly re-vitalizing Florida tourism after the difficult times of the Great Depression and WWII.  Cypress Gardens helped to establish central Florida as the dominant area in the world for theme parks.  

Ski Champs in Action at Cypress Gardens

Circa 1958

"Having a wonderful time.  On the go all the time.  Weather is perfect."

Cypress Gardens, Florida's first theme park has a unique history.  The Sunshine state's major tourism industry began with a 'Good Housekeeping' article read by Julie Pope.

Back in the 1930s, Dick Pope, Sr. and his wife, Julie saw an article about a Charleston, SC banker who opened up his private estate to the public and charged an admission fee having taken in $36,000 cash in one year which was a big sum in those days.  After hearing about the banker's success, Pope decided he would build his own lush gardens in Winter Haven.  

Cypress Gardens Postcard

Circa 1930s

Dick and Julie originally planned to rebuild the Winter Haven canals and chain of lakes.  They also planned to add a hanging garden on Lake Eloise.  Eventually, they created what became known as Cypress Gardens.  Pope was mocked by the press.  "Maharaja of Muck" and "Swami of the Swamp" were his nicknames because his dream garden was being built in the middle of a 37-acre swamp on Lake Eloise. Pope didn't let that stop him from accomplishing his goals!

Originally from Des Moines, Iowa Dick Pope moved to Winter Haven when he was about 11 years of age. Starting in 1931 and using workers paid $1 a day by the Florida Emergency Relief Assocation, Pope started cleaning the canals and planting palms plus other tropical plants on the property. Development would take five years, but on January 2, 1936 Cypress Gardens was ready for its first visitors!

Azalea time in Cypress Gardens

Julie Pope knew the most about all the flowers that would grow in the garden because of her Brewton, Alabama roots.  The picturesque theme park's success proved the press wrong.  The garden included 8,000 different flowers from over 90 different countries.  

Because of the gardens' notable success, Dick Pope was deemed "Mr. Florida", the "Father of Florida Tourism" and "Mr. Water Skiing".

Cypress Gardens known for its water sk shows, gardens and 

Southern Belles once poised throughout the gardens.

In the 1940s, the Southern Belles attraction was introduced.  Young women dressed in the crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South.  While Mrs. Pope's husband was away in the Army, she introduced "Southern Belles" dressed in hoop skirts of varying colors and positioned throughout the gardens to greet visitors. In 1943, when servicemen showed up asking when the ski show would take place, Mrs. Pope told them it would be at 3:30 that afternoon.  She, then, called her young son and told him to round up his friends to put on what would come to be known as the world-famous water ski show!

Another funny story about the Southern Belles involves Mrs. Pope.  There had been a really hard freeze one December so Mrs. Pope was the one who came up with the idea to dress a young lady in a Southern Belle outfit and stand her outside so that visitors would not see the flame vine or orange trumpet vine with 3-inch long tubular flowers by the entrance that had been effected by the frost that winter.  From that day forward, the Belles were created and were found throughout Cypress Gardens.

Cypress Gardens Florida shaped pool

Cypress Gardens Gazebo

In 1973, the gazebo, popular for weddings was constructed using an old satellite dish from WWII. 

After water skiing became part of the Cypress Gardens' show, Pope helped develop different formations and tricks including the water ski human 4-tiered pyramid. 

"Island in the Sky"

by 

Kodak

Opening in 1983, the Island in the Sky is a 153-foot high revolving observation platform.  The name is now known as the Sunshine Sky Adventure. 

Cypress Gardens Banyan Tree

This tree was planted as a seedling in 1939 making it a cornerstone of the park since its early days.  The tree is a significant part of the park's history and a symbol of what was once Cypress Gardens.  The tree is located within the preserved Cypress Gardens Botanical Gardens which was part of the original Cypress Gardens theme park.  This tree is a well-known feature of the park and its presence has helped to preserve the character of Cypress Gardens within what is now known as Legoland resort.

A Southern Belle, Legoland style.

Water Ski Show, Legoland Style

Two movies were filmed at Cypress Gardens.  In 1941, Moon Over Miami starring Betty Grable and Don Ameche.  In 1948, On An Island With You starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Jimmy Durante and Peter Lawford.  The film was shown at Winter Haven's Ritz Theatre. In 1949, Neptunes' Daughter featuring Esther Williams and Red Skelton.  In 1953, Easy to Love featuring Esther Williams, Van Johnson and Tony Martin.

"With movies and TV, the 1950s and 1960s were the gardens' glory days."

Bob Gernert, Executive Director of the Greater Winter Haven Area Chamber of Commerce

(Bernert is a Cypress Gardens history buff.)

Esther Williams being photographed during the filming

of

Easy To Love 

The premiere of the 1953 film "Easy to Love" was on December 31, 1952 at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios as reported by Variety.  The film's release date was December 25, 1953.  The budget was $1,831,000 with box office generating $3,789,000.

This musical, starring Esther Williams and Van Johnson, was produced by Joe Pasternak and directed by Charles Walters.  The film is known for its elaborate aquamusical sequences with choreography by Busby Berkeley.  Esther Williams was pregnant during its filming, but still performed her own waterskiing stunts. It was Williams' final aquatic film set in the United States.

On April 14, 2014 Cypress Gardens was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

"In its first year, several thousand people paid 25 cents each to see Cypress Gardens."

Bob Gernert

Over the years many famous people including Elvis Presley, Carol Burnett and Johnny Carson would get their feet wet in their first attempts at water skiing at Cypress Gardens.  By 1948, admission to Cypress Gardens was $1 per person.  Three years later, it jumped to $1.25 per person and by 1953, it cost $2 to visit Cypress Gardens.  In 1949, the garden's first traveling ski team appeared in Chicago.  By 1953, Cypress Gardens hosted its first international ski tournament.  In 1968, the ski show stadium was constructed.  In 1974, Cypress Gardens purchased the adjacent Snively property and mansion. In 1992, the Spring Festival introduced topiary figures and the following year by the Butterfly Conservatory, Plantation Gardens and the Anheuser Busch Hospitality House in the old Snively Mansion.  As of this writing, the Butterfly Conservatory has been removed.

Topiary Figure in Cypress Gardens

Sidenote:  The Snively Mansion and the Snively name will be featured in an upcoming story connected to Cypress Gardens and its amazing history.  

 🐰  HAPPY EASTER  🐰 

                                      

     

 

S&H Green Stamps was a line of trading stamps popular in the United States from 1896 until the late 1980s.  They were distributed as part of a rewards program operated by the Sperry & Hutchinson company founded by Thomas Sperry of Cranford, New Jersey and Shelley Byron Hutchinson of Ypsilanti, Michigan.  They made money by selling the stamps to retailers who would then give them to their customers.  10 stamps for every dollar spent. Consumers would save up their stamps and then exchange them for products from the S&H catalog or at S&H redemption centers which numbered 600 nationwide by the mid-1960s.  The variety of products that Green Staps could be redeemed for was amazing!  By the 1960s, the S&H "Ideabook" catalog contained 178 pages of items from dish towels and ash trays to fishing poles, bicycles, furniture and applicances.  In 1966, Pennsyvlania school children even collected 5.4 million stamps to buy a pair of gorillas: one went to the Pittsburgh Zoo in Highland Park while the other one, a female named Samantha went to Glenwood Park Zoo in Erie, Pennsyvlania to serve as a mate for their male gorilla, Lonesome George. 

During the 1960s, the company issued more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service and distributed 35 million catalogs a year.  Customers received stamps at the checkout counters of supermarkets, department stores and gasoline stations among other retailers, which could then be redeemed for products from the catalog.  Top Value Stamps ceased operations in the early 1980s after which S&H accepting savings books for those who had unredeemed Top Value books, before S&H, itself, ceased business. 

Newspaper ad for the program shows the stamps and gives a description of the programs and offers.

Circa 1910

S&H Green Stamps were so popular they were mentioned in songs, movies and television shows.  The Beatles and Pat Boone are just two of the many who mentioned S&H Green Stamps in a song or movie.