Tag: Reidsville

I am fascinated by the Gilded Age.  The termed was coined in the 1920’s (credited to Mark Twain) and refers to a period from 1870 to 1900 when a few Americans made obscene fortunes and competed with each other in the ostentatious display of their wealth.  They thought that they were building monuments for all time in the elaborate homes that they built, quite often copying country estates in Europe.  Instead, they built albatrosses that succeeding generations simply could not afford to maintain.  While most of the mansions that I’ve read about were built (and often subsequently torn down) in New York or Newport, RI, at least one – the Biltmore – was actually built not far from here in Asheville, North Carolina.   Continue reading A Little Gilded Age Tobacco Money