Biltmore Estate – Lady on the Hill
Recently, I had the breathtaking opportunity to visit Biltmore Estate! It is amazing! Gorgeous! Remarkable! Phenomenal! And I can’t wait to go back! While there, I discovered a fascinating book: Lady on the Hill – How Biltmore Became an American Icon. It is an incredibly interesting story – I just have to tell you a bit about it!
Biltmore Estate was built in the late 1800s by George Vanderbilt. Interestingly, it was not completed when the family moved in. Entire rooms were left unfinished – doors were kept shut to hide this fact. Evidently, the common misconception was that the Vanderbilt’s had an unending supply of funds, but that was not the reality. George dreamed of making Biltmore a working estate that would pay for itself, but sadly never witnessed that in his time.
George and his wife had one daughter, Cornelia. Sadly, I was not impressed with what I read of her. She struck me as a spoiled, rich girl. (But it is always good to use impressions of people to remind yourself of what is important to you – and to me, I was reminded that no matter who you are or how you are raised, you have the potential to hold yourself to a higher standard! Some of the most phenomenal people in the world have come from difficult beginnings! And some of the most phenomenal beginnings have resulted in difficult people.)
Anyway, Cornelia inherited Biltmore upon her marriage to John Cecil, an English gentleman. They had two sons, George and William. George and William lived at Biltmore briefly while they were quite young, and then they were sent abroad to boarding schools in Europe. Finally, when they were in their early teens, they were able to return home for a short time. They loved it and had many dear memories of the place. And again, they left to continue with their schooling and college. I believe both boys went on to join the RAF for a time. But then they had the chance to return home, and decided to make Biltmore their profession!
Biltmore employed an impressive number of people and even families. Families lived on the estate and had the pleasure of benefiting from the Biltmore crops and dairy. It is said that while the people in Asheville could barely afford milk and groceries during World War II, that the families of Biltmore had ice cream to spare from their impressive dairy herd! What a blessing Biltmore must have been!
Another fascinating thing I read was that during World War II, the unfinished Music Room in Biltmore was converted to a safe room to house Art from Washington. People in Washington were afraid that if America was attacked that the Art would be stolen. So Biltmore took the unfinished room, added a heavy security door and barred the windows. Visitors during this time would have seen at least one armed guard standing at the Music Room security door. If anyone noticed, it does not seem to be recorded. Business continued as usual.
Time went on and William Cecil (known as Bill) took over the Biltmore home. He ingeniously pulled Biltmore Estate out of a heavy debt – in less than a decade! How phenomenal and remarkable! A few weeks earlier when I shared There’s Always Room at the Top, I had read that phrase as having been quoted by Bill when he was convincing people that Biltmore could pay for itself.
One thing I specifically noticed and appreciated about this book is that there are no “scandals” mentioned. It is merely a book about the history of Biltmore! So refreshing not to have to ignore “gossip” while reading the history of the Estate!
If you enjoy historical books, you will be fascinated by this book! I love how George Vanderbilt’s grandson Bill Cecil was so committed to making his grandfather’s dream of Biltmore being self-sustaining, a reality! So commendable! What an admirable way to honor your grandfather!
Do you enjoy historical books? Do you admire when people honor their father/grandfather? What are some ways that you honor (or are inspired to honor) your parents or loved ones? I’d love it if you’d share!
Until Next Time!
Hope.