I posted this postcard several weeks ago, and you may recall that this was the camping lodge of George Vanderbilt. He had built an over-the-top mansion, Biltmore House, in Asheville, and so he needed an over-the-top lodge to go with it. I made the short trip up to Mt. Pisgah today, and so I went by the site of the lodge to shoot some photos of the way it looks today.
First, vintage photos, courtesy of the interpretive marker placed by the US Park Service:
The angles are different, so it’s a bit hard to tell, but the first photo shows the covered walkway you can see in the postcard, and the second photo shows the porch (on left in postcard). According to info in the Pisgah Inn, the lodge was built in three sections and was connected by the coverd walkway. Because the Vanderbilts were so wealthy, their time at Buck Springs is well documented, with fascinating photos of the women and their big 1905ish hats and long skirts.
Inside, the lodge was rustic looking, but was actually quite modern. The only thing that was not modern was the heating system. Instead of central heat, the buildings were heated by huge fireplaces.
The lodge was torn down in 1963. What a loss! Today, little remains except a small bit of the foundation and the Vanderbilt’s multi-million dollar view.
This is part of the foundation of the building in the top photo. It’s easy to figure it out because the leaning tree in the photo is still there, although it is dead.
The trail to the lodge. The path was cut through rhododendron thickets, or as the mountain people called them, “hells”.
And the view from that lovely porch:
Comments:
Posted by StellaMaris:
Posted by Stacey Brooks Newton:
Thanks again for the encouraging words- It’s nice to know when someone actually visits!
Posted by Niesz Vintage Home:
I’ve been to the Biltmore house several times, but never heard of the lodge before.BTW, I’ve had the best time looking through your site! Wonderful fashion posts!
Kimberly
