Near Blowing Rock in Watauga County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

A Prosperous Mountain Family

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2018

1. A Prosperous Mountain Family Marker

Inscription. Moses H. Cone Memorial Park preserves the country estate of Moses Cone, a prosperous textile entrepreneur, conservationist, and philanthropist of the Gilded Age. Its centerpiece is Flat Top Manor, a gleaming white 23-room mansion of almost 14,000 square feet, built in 1901.

From this location near one of the original entrances to the estate, you share the same view of Bass Lake that the Cone family often enjoyed.

The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park area today reminds us of how life in the mountains, often thought of as primitive and isolated, was also influenced by nineteenth-century landscape architecture design and America’s country estate movement. These influences become obvious as you enjoy the orchards, carriage trails, and remnants of the managed forests that were so important to this prosperous mountain family.

The North Carolina mountains and foothills were designated the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area in recognition of their natural beauty and living traditions of music, craft, agriculture, and Cherokee culture. This location is part of a regional trail of distinctive heritage sites. Ask for more information at visitor centers.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics and series. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the Blue Ridge Parkway series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.

Location. 36° 8.956′ N, 81° 41.548′ W. Marker is near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, in Watauga County. Marker can be reached from Blue Ridge Parkway (at milepost 294), 2 miles west of U.S. 221, on the left when traveling south. Marker is located on the Moses Cone (Flat Top) Estate grounds, along the walkway leading from the main parking lot to the northeast side of the manor building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6570 Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock NC 28605, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Carriage Roads (a few steps from this marker); Moses Cone Estate (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Carriage Roads (approx. 0.7 miles away); L.M. Tate Show Grounds (approx. 0.9 miles away); Chetola (approx. 1.2 miles away); Religious Heritage (approx. 1.2 miles away); Medical Care (approx. 1.2 miles away); Philanthropy (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blowing Rock.

Related markers.

Marker detail: Flat Top Manor, ca. 1940s-1950s image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of National Park Service/Blue Ridge Parkway

2. Marker detail: Flat Top Manor, ca. 1940s-1950s

Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Blue Ridge Heritage Trail

Also see . . .
1. Moses Cone Memorial Park. Twenty-five miles of carriage trails wind through the fields and forests of the 3,500-acre estate. The estate also contains a family cemetery and a carriage and apple barn. Moses Cone’s interest in nature and conservation led him to plant extensive white pine forests and hemlock hedges (at the advice of friend and noted conservationist Gifford Pinchot), build several lakes stocked with bass and trout, and plant a 10,000-tree apple orchard. (Submitted on September 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. A History of Moses Cone Memorial Park. Moses H. Cone was a self-made man in the best American tradition. His textile mills produced high quality denim fabric, earning him the title, “Denim King” Fond of nature and plagued by poor health, Moses was drawn to the mountainous region of western North Carolina with its moderate climate, fresh spring water, and clean air. In the mid-1890’s, Moses and his wife, Bertha, journeyed to Blowing Rock to design and build their summer estate, Flat Top Manor. Moses died at the age of 51 in 1908. Bertha resided at and actively managed the estate for another 39 years until her death. The graves of both overlook a meadow below the summit of Flat Top Mountain. (Submitted on September 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: Flat Top Manor viewed from apple orchard in Cone park, 1976 image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of National Park Service/Blue Ridge Parkway

3. Marker detail: Flat Top Manor viewed from apple orchard in Cone park, 1976

3. Moses Herman Cone. Moses H. Cone was an American textile entrepreneur, conservationist, and philanthropist of the Gilded Age who was active in the southern United States. He began his career in sales and became an innovator who offered finished clothing, which was unusual in an era when textiles were normally sold as unfinished cloth. Cone manufactured unusual textile fabrics and founded a company that became a leading manufacturer of denim. His company was a major supplier to Levi Strauss and Company for nearly a century. (Submitted on September 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: View of Bass Lake from porch of Flat Top Manor image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of National Park Service/Blue Ridge Parkway

4. Marker detail: View of Bass Lake from porch of Flat Top Manor

A Prosperous Mountain Family Marker (<i>wide view; east side of Flat Top Manor in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2018

5. A Prosperous Mountain Family Marker (wide view; east side of Flat Top Manor in background)

Flat Top Manor (<i>front view on a foggy day</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2018

6. Flat Top Manor (front view on a foggy day)

Central Staircase (<i>located inside Flat Top Manor on main floor, beyond entrance</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2018

7. Central Staircase (located inside Flat Top Manor on main floor, beyond entrance)

This summer home had a formal dining room, music and billiard rooms on the first floor. Flat Top Manor was heated year-round by a wood stove in the basement.

The Couple of the Manor (<i>Interpretive panel located inside Flat Top Manor</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2018

8. The Couple of the Manor (Interpretive panel located inside Flat Top Manor)

The couple never had children. Moses & Bertha built Flat Top Manor as a summer home. Moses died at the age of 51 and was buried in a plot of his choosing on top of Flat Top Mountain. Following Moses’ death, Bertha continued to spend her summers in Blowing Rock accompanied by her two sisters. Bertha outlived her husband by 39 years dying of heart trouble in 1947. Bertha's sisters, Clementine and Sophie Lindau are also buried at the gravesite.

Cone Family Men (<i>from interpretive panel located inside Flat Top Manor</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2018

9. Cone Family Men (from interpretive panel located inside Flat Top Manor)

Children: Herman, infant Sydney, Jr., Benjamin
Front row: Moses, Bernard, Sydney, Ceasar
Back Row: Julius, Solomon, Clarence, Fred

Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 400 times since then and 27 times this year. Last updated on September 13, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1. submitted on September 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on September 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.