Many people who have visited Western North Carolina are familiar with the Biltmore House. It is located in Asheville, North Carolina which is in the middle of the beautiful Smokey Mountains. My great-grandfather John Taylor Corbin, was one of the stone masons who worked on the outside of the Biltmore House. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, you will see the stone lions on the steps of the entry way, that he himself carved. One of my other great -grandfathers, William Westall, owned a lumber company that helped to build the Biltmore House.
As the great grand-daughter of two of the builders of the Biltmore House, I had heard so many stories of the building of the house, and the history of the Vanderbilts family who erected the house. So it became my mission to find out the true story behind the mansion. One story that I was told growing up, was that the house was a gift to George Vanderbilt’s bride, Edith Dresser. Read on to see if it is true.
George Vanderbilt, son of Cornelius Vanderbilt, decided that he wanted to venture beyond his families strongholds in the Northeast, and a friend suggested he visit the North Carolina mountains. In 1888, at the age of 26, George and his Mother made a visit to the area near Asheville, and the idea for the Biltmore house was born.George and his Mother had heard that Asheville and the surrounding area was a high society health resort. There were many springs in the area that attracted TB patients in those days. George saw the mountains and land near what would later be called Biltmore, and he knew he had found the perfect spot for his dream home.
George hired Richard Hunt, a popular architect of the day, and Mr. Hunt suggested building the mansion to resemble a French chateau. They began work on the house , but quickly found out it was difficult to get supplies from the neighboring village to the Biltmore Estate. A railroad was built form the village to the building site in order to transfer supplies. Mr. Hunt hired some local workers such as stone masons and carpenters. Hunt hired Scottish Stone Mason John Cadzow and his crew. My great-grandfather, John Taylor Corbin, worked for Mr. Cadzow. My great-grandfather is soley responsible for the massive lions that sit on both sides of the entrance to the Biltmore House. Richard Hunt also hired the local lumber company, Westall Lumber, which was owned by my great -grandfather Willam H. Westall. They supplied a good portion of the lumber that went into constructing the Biltmore House.
Vanderbilt had a huge interest in culture and history, and this had a big influence on which items were chosen for the inside of the mansion. He included furniture, carpeting, and items from Europe and the Orient. Some of the items he bought were Napoleon’s chess set, and vases from the era of the Ming Dynasty. On the walls, he added works of art by painters such as Sargent, Whistler, and Boldini. He covered many of the floors of the home with Persian and Oriental rugs, bought direct from these countries. These items can still be found in the mansion to this day.
Mr. Vanderbilt knew that he had an opportunity with the beautiful grounds to create gardens, and maybe even a farm. He hired a famous landscape architect, Fred Olmstead, who transformed the 117,000 acres into a mountain wonderland . Olmstead built beautiful gardens, green houses, and planned and constructed a farm, including stables for the Vanderbilt’s horses. Before the house was completed, George Vanderbilt had invested 7 million dollars into constructing his dream mansion.
The house was completed in 1895 and George moved into the house on Christmas Eve. Reports have it that some rooms in the mansion were not completed when he moved in. George had a technologically advanced house. The mansion had running water, electricity, a refrigeration system, and a heating system. He had the run of 250 homes in his house. In the basement area, he even had a bowling alley and an indoor swimming pool.
George continued to make trips back to his birthplace in the Northeast. He had met Edith Dresser years before, and finally decided that the Biltmore Estate was the perfect place to set up his permanent home for he and his fiance. He proposed to Edith and they were married in 1898. She then began the job of helping George run the estate, and manage the grounds and their employees. They both became known as wonderful employer in the area, and people stayed with them for years.
They only had one daughter, Cornelia. After George’s death in 1913, Edith continued to manage affairs at the estate. However, she decided to sell most of the land for public use to the Pisgah National Forest. Soon after, Edith remarried Senator Peter Gerry and moved out of the house in 1925. Edith’s daughter and son-in-law then began to manage the house and estate. They decided to open it to the public in 1930.
Today, George and Edith Vanderbilt’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren manage affairs at the house. They have added a winery in recent years, and several restaurants have been opened. These include the Deer Park Restaurant, The Bistro, and the Stable Cafe. An inn has been built on the mansion grounds for visitor’s.
Be sure to remember to visit the Biltmore House when you are in the Asheville area. After all, you now know the history from the great grand-daughther of two of the builders.
