Looking Glass Rock is a pluton monolith in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina , United States.
31-572: The mountain is located within Pisgah National Forest about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) northwest of Brevard and 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Asheville . Named for the way its granite face reflects the sunshine, it rises from the valley floor to an elevation of almost 4,000 feet (1,200 m). Trails from Forest Service Road 475 and 475B lead to the top of the mountain. It is a moderate/strenuous trail climbing 1700 ft over 3.1 miles to its peak where panoramic views can be seen. There
62-451: A United States Senator from Rhode Island. The Vanderbilts' only child, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt , married a British aristocrat, the Hon. John Francis Amherst Cecil (a descendant of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley ) in 1924. Their sons, George and William , eventually inherited the property. George Cecil, the elder of the two sons, chose to inherit the majority of the estate's land and
93-515: A maiden voyage". It's possible the warning was acknowledged and heeded. In any case, Edith, in a letter to her friend Emily Ford Skeel (sister of Paul Leicester Ford ), explained: "For no reason whatsoever we decided to sail on the Olympic and had only 18 hours to get ready in. We were homesick, and simply felt we must get home, and changed our ship, as I say, at the Eleventh hour!" Unfortunately, however,
124-586: A servant to the Vanderbilts, Frederick Wheeler, perished aboard Titanic in second class, as, due to the close timing of their switch, the Vanderbilts were forced to leave most of their luggage aboard Titanic , and so Wheeler retained his ticket to travel with it. Vanderbilt died of complications following an appendectomy in Washington, D.C. , on March 6, 1914. He was interred in the Vanderbilt family mausoleum at
155-427: A stroke, he left a fortune of approximately $ 200 million, the bulk of which was split between his two elder sons, Cornelius Vanderbilt II and William K. Vanderbilt . George W. Vanderbilt had inherited $ 2 million from his grandfather and received another million dollars on his 21st birthday from his father. Upon his father's death, he inherited $ 5 million more, as well as the income from a $ 5 million trust fund. He ran
186-449: Is a Biblical Hebrew word with several meanings: it can be used to describe someone’s best achievement; another meaning is the highest point of a mountain, “summit”. Some translators of the Bible book of Deuteronomy translated the word as a name of a mountain in general, usually referring to Mount Nebo . The Pisgah National Forest was established in 1916, one of the first national forests in
217-889: Is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina . It is administered by the United States Forest Service , part of the United States Department of Agriculture . The Pisgah National Forest is completely contained within the state of North Carolina. The forest is managed together with the other three North Carolina National Forests ( Croatan , Nantahala , and Uwharrie ) from common headquarters in Asheville, North Carolina . There are local ranger district offices located in Pisgah Forest , Mars Hill , and Nebo . Pisgah (פִּסְגָּה)
248-729: Is a flat slab on the top, that can be used as a helipad . Looking Glass Rock is a popular rock climbing destination. Whether it is free climbing , multi-pitch or aid climbing, dozens of routes traverse the South Face, North Face, Nose Area, Sun Wall, Invisible Wall and Hidden Wall to the top of the mountain. From the top of Looking Glass Rock, panoramic views can be seen of the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding mountains of Transylvania County . [REDACTED] Media related to Looking Glass Rock (North Carolina) at Wikimedia Commons Pisgah National Forest Pisgah National Forest
279-566: Is a popular place for many activities, such as hiking, backpacking , road biking, mountain biking , fishing, and rock climbing . Popular mountain biking trails include Sycamore Cove Trail, and Black Mountain Loop. Farlow Gap is an expert-level trail, and considered "one of the toughest mountain bike trails in Pisgah National Forest." There are three officially designated wilderness areas lying within Pisgah National Forest that are part of
310-788: Is located in Nebo . The Appalachian Ranger District stretches along the Tennessee border from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park north to Hot Springs , with the district office located in Mars Hill . The Appalachian Trail passes through this district, as well as the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. The Pisgah Ranger District lies mostly south of Asheville, in parts of Henderson, Transylvania and Haywood counties, with
341-582: Is the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River and lies just outside the boundary of Pisgah National Forest. The forest also includes tracts surrounding the city of Asheville , the city of Brevard and land in the French Broad River Valley. Recreation includes activities such as hiking , backpacking , and mountain biking . The land and its resources are also used for hunting , wildlife management, and timber harvesting, as well as
SECTION 10
#1732870067062372-691: The Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp in Staten Island, New York . After his death, Vanderbilt's widow sold approximately 86,000 acres (350 km ) of the Biltmore property to the United States Forest Service at $ 5 an acre, fulfilling her husband's wishes to create the core of Pisgah National Forest . She sold additional land as finances demanded; today, about 8,000 acres (32 km ) remain. Edith Dresser Vanderbilt later married Peter Goelet Gerry (1879–1957),
403-516: The National Wilderness Preservation System . George Washington Vanderbilt II George Washington Vanderbilt II (November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914) was an American art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family , which amassed a huge fortune through steamboats , railroads , and various business enterprises . He commissioned the construction of a 250-room mansion, the largest privately owned home in
434-658: The North Carolina Arboretum . The forest lies in parts of 12 counties in western North Carolina. In descending order they are Transylvania , McDowell , Haywood , Madison , Caldwell , Burke , Yancey , Buncombe , Avery , Mitchell , Henderson , and Watauga counties. Some 46,600 acres (189 km ) of old-growth forests have been identified in the Pisgah National Forest, with 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) in Linville Gorge . Bent Creek , Mills River , and Davidson River - three major streams and tributaries of
465-820: The Sons of the American Revolution . The next year Vanderbilt gifted his private gallery on 58th Street in Manhattan to the American Fine Arts Society . During the early 1900s, the Vanderbilts developed a pair of residences at 645 and 647 Fifth Avenue . George was the first owner of number 647. Living in one or another of his family residences well into adulthood, Vanderbilt decided to construct his own country mansion and estate in 1888. For this purpose, he acquired 125,000 acres of woodland in North Carolina, employing
496-665: The Biltmore Estate played a major role in the birth of the U.S. Forest Service. Today these lands are part of an educational and recreational area in Pisgah National Forest. Located on the forest property is the Bent Creek Campus of the Appalachian Forest Experiment Station , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The Pisgah National Forest is divided into 3 Ranger Districts:
527-643: The Estate or were employed on the Estate), so that the church's weekly collection could go directly to charity and outreach. On June 1, 1898, Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser (January 17, 1873 – December 21, 1958) at the American Cathedral in Paris , France. George and Edith had one daughter together, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (August 22, 1900 - February 7, 1976). In 1912, George and Edith booked passage on
558-977: The French Broad River - are located in the Pisgah Ranger District, which lies on either side of the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville, along the Pisgah Ridge and Balsam Mountains. Three long-distance recreational trails - the Mountains-to-Sea Trail , the Shut-In Trail , and the Art Loeb Trail travel through this district. Also included in the Pisgah Ranger District are the Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wildernesses. The Blue Ridge Parkway transects this National Forest, and many National Forest and Parkway trails intersect. Pisgah National Forest
589-634: The Grandfather, Appalachian, and Pisgah districts. The Grandfather and Appalachian Ranger Districts lie in the northern mountains of North Carolina and include areas such as the Linville Gorge Wilderness , Wilson Creek , the watersheds of the Toe and Cane rivers, Roan Mountain , Mount Mitchell , Craggy Gardens , and the Big Ivy/Coleman Boundary area. The Grandfather Ranger District office
620-479: The United States , which he named Biltmore Estate . George W. Vanderbilt II was the youngest child of William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam. Though there is no evidence to suggest that he referred to himself using a numerical suffix, various sources have called him both George Washington Vanderbilt II and III. Biltmore recognizes him as George W. Vanderbilt III, because he had two uncles by that name,
651-553: The United States. It operated during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The school was opened and operated at the direction of George Washington Vanderbilt II , builder of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. The Forestry Education offered at Biltmore was taught by Carl Schenk. A native German, Schenk was referred to Vanderbilt when Gifford Pinchot resigned to operate the newly formed Division of Forestry. The Cradle of Forestry and
SECTION 20
#1732870067062682-483: The Weeks Act provided the authority required to create national forests in the east as well. Although tracts in the future Pisgah National Forest were among the first purchased under the Weeks Act, the very first to receive formal approval was the 31,000-acre (130 km ) Gennett Purchase in northern Georgia. On March 25, 1921 Boone National Forest was added to Pisgah, and on July 10, 1936, most of Unaka National Forest
713-608: The architect Richard Morris Hunt to design a limestone house modeled on the Chateau de Blois and other chateaux of the Loire Valley . With up to four acres of floor space, this is believed to be the largest domestic dwelling ever constructed in the United States. At Biltmore, Vanderbilt led the life of a country gentleman. Having a great interest in horticulture and agriscience, he oversaw experiments in scientific farming, animal bloodline breeding, and silviculture (forestry). His goal
744-791: The district office located in Pisgah Forest . The Pisgah National Forest covers 512,758 acres (801 sq mi; 2,075 km ) of mountainous terrain in the southern Appalachian Mountains, including parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Great Balsam Mountains . Elevations reach over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) and include some of the highest mountains in the eastern United States. Summit elevations include Black Balsam Knob at 6,214 feet (1,894 m), Mount Hardy at 6,110 feet (1,860 m), Tennant Mountain at 6,056 feet (1,846 m), and Cold Mountain at 6,030 feet (1,840 m). Mount Mitchell , in Mount Mitchell State Park ,
775-478: The doomed Titanic , but they changed their plans at the last minute via telephone, instead sailing on her sister ship, Olympic . Olympic left port before Titanic , and the Vanderbilts arrived in New York before the sinking. Accounts vary, but it has been suggested that a family member (reportedly his wife's well-travelled sister) warned the pair from travelling on Titanic , saying, "so many things can go wrong on
806-508: The eastern United States. The new preserve included approximately 86,700 acres (35,100 ha) that had been part of the Biltmore Estate , but were sold to the federal government in 1914 by Edith Vanderbilt . Some of the forest tracts were among the first purchases by the Forest Service under the Weeks Act of 1911. While national forests had already been created in the western United States,
837-518: The family farm at New Dorp and Woodland Beach, now the neighborhood of Midland Beach , on Staten Island , New York , where he was born, then lived with his mother in Manhattan until his own townhouse at 9 West 53rd Street was completed in 1887. The Vanderbilt family business was operated by his elder brothers. This left him time for intellectual pursuits. In 1891, he joined the New York Society of
868-809: The first of whom died at the age of four. As the youngest of William's children, George was said to be his father's favorite and his constant companion. Relatives described him as slender, dark-haired, and pale-complexioned. Shy and introverted, his interests ran to philosophy, books, and the collection of paintings in his father's large art gallery. He acquired a private library of more than twenty thousand volumes. In addition to frequent visits to Paris , France, where several Vanderbilts kept homes, George Vanderbilt traveled extensively and became fluent in several languages. His father owned elegant mansions in New York City and Newport , and an 800-acre (3.2 km ) country estate on Long Island. When William died in 1885 of
899-513: Was added. In 1954 the Pisgah National Forest was administratively combined with the Croatan and Nantahala national forests, collectively known as the National Forests of North Carolina. American forestry has roots in what is now the Pisgah National Forest. The Cradle of Forestry, ( Biltmore Forest School ), located in the southern part of the forest, was the site of the first school of forestry in
930-618: 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. He also paid all the expenses of the Cathedral of All Souls , an Episcopal cathedral he'd built and was a parishioner of, located directly across from the Biltmore Estate's main gate in Biltmore Village (the model village he had built for those who had worked to build
961-598: Was to run Biltmore as a self-sustaining estate. In 1892, Frederick Law Olmsted suggested that Vanderbilt hire Gifford Pinchot to manage the forests on the estate. According to Pinchot, who went on to be the first Chief of the United States Forest Service , Biltmore was the first professionally managed forest in the U.S. It was also the site of the Biltmore School of Forestry , the first such school in North America, established in 1898 by Dr. Carl A. Schenck . Vanderbilt