The Paranormal & Ghost Society

Emerald Bay in southern Lake Tahoe is said to be one of the most scenic locations in the country maybe even the world. The bay have some rather unique features for example the bay holds the only island found in Tahoe as well as the only waterfall called Eagle Falls. Eagle Falls in the spring is an amazing site of share power with 148' of falls and lower rapids which eventually drain out into Emerald Bay. Please use caution stay on the trails when viewing the falls do not get to close as people have died going over the falls. Which makes this location great if your looking to do some ghost hunting but more importantly Emerald Bay is said to be the area of many Lake Monster Tessie Sightings and beyond the mountains in the region are quite a few Sasquatch reports.

There is allot of history surrounding the Emerald Bay area as it was the area of one of the first summer homes in Lake Tahoe. In 1863 Ben Holladay was responsible for the building of the summer home. If you are not aware of who he was he operated a stagecoach line as back in the day their were no automobiles and Tahoe was an ancient alpine forest with very few trails or roads. By 1884 a man by the name of Dr. Kirby purchased a portion of the land surrounding Emerald Bay building a resort. By 1895 that same land was sold to a William Henry Armstrong who held onto the property all the way up until 1928 and that is when Mrs. Lora J. Knight acquired it only that same year to have Vikingsholm Castle built on it.

Mrs. Knight was from Santa Barbara California however she wanted the castle built as a summer home. She would come on up in June then leave in September. That same practice seems to be popular in the Tahoe region and allot of them summer homes can be rented. The winters are harsh so you definitely would not want to be staying at Emerald Bay in the middle of winter. My first initial visit to the area it was March and I remember trying to hike only to get about 50 feet before the snow was past my waste lol. However in the summer most of the snow is gone and it stays relatively cool here and this is enough for anyone to fall in love with especially if you are from Southern California like Mrs Knight was.

In 1928 the plans for building the castle had begun as the foundation was laid out and 200 workers were brought into to help build the estate. It only took a summer to build the home and by the end of winter in 1929 it was complete. Everything was hand carved such as the dragon beams. The timbers were hand hewn much like the wooden paneling found on the walls within. The metal fixtures were special made just as the doors right on site. Her nephew by Marriage designed the plans for the castle a Swedish architect and I have to say he did a pretty exemplarily job with the project.

The dragon beams were similar to the ones found in very old Viking castles. The granite boulders embedded on the exterior were similar to the ones found in Sweden typically in churches and old castles. The carvings around the doors of the castle were similar to the ones found in churches of the Norsemen. The pointed peaks of the roofs were sodded so that wild flowers could grow high above the castle. Throughout the castle Nordic fireplaces are found in almost every room. The paintings on the ceilings and walls internally were made to match Scandinavians Motifs.

Mrs. Knight who traveled to Scandinavia often visited in 1928 to gather some ideas for her castle. All the antiques, furnishings and works of art were purchased in various Scandinavian Country. Some of the pieces she wanted in the castle were historic and found in museums. If she could not purchase it she would hire someone who could replicate that piece or rather reproduce it with exact detail. This included all the way to scratches to the aging of the wood. The bridal table in the living room is one of those reproductions found here today. This makes the castle one of the most fines pieces of Scandinavian architecture in the United States all within a short distance from where our organization is based.

Now you ask yourself who is Mrs Lora J. Knight? Well she was in fact not Scandinavian at all but rather English. I made the mistake assuming she was when I read this was a Scandinavian Castle only to find out after doing some video that it was more or less a love for the culture. Mrs. Knight was born in Illinois in 1864 and came from a large family. She had three other sisters and a brother in the town of Galena. Her father was a lawyer so she was born into wealth but she also married into it as well. Her father hired on two brothers to work for his corporation law firm William and James Hobart Moore. If you have ever heard of Union Pacific, Rock Island Railroad, Nation Biscuit, Continental Can, Diamond Match etc then you would know that the brothers had interest in all of these companions. In the 1880's Lora married James Moore while her sister Ada married William.

Eventually Lora and James had a son Nathaniel who married Helen Fargo from the Wells Fargo Bank family in 1910 sadly her son died by the age of 25 so he never would get to experience the building of Vikingsholm. More tragedy would strike as in 6 years later Mrs. Knights husband passed away. However prior to this happening they bought a house near Santa Barbara kind of like a summer home which Mrs. Knight spent very little time at. As a matter in fact she spent most of her time up in Lake Geneva Wisconsin and Evanston Illinois. She also spent time traveling out of the country as well which deepened her love for the Scandanavian culture eventually.

Mrs Knight in the 1920's would eventually remarry a man by the name of Harry Knight a stockbroker from St. Louis which eventually led to divorce prior to the completion of the castle. She was a benefactor to the Christian Science Church, youth groups and even a financial backer of Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic. I didn't even know that myself but Mrs. Knight was born and married into wealth. She used that wealth for good deeds and that is something I have allot of respect for. Sadly in 1945 Lora Knight passed away at the age of 82 after spending 15 summers at the castle. It saddens me that she is no longer here she was a very generous woman and I am sure would have let our team spend a couple nights here to explore the area on a much more in depth level. As a veteran parapsychologist I have learned over the years how to sense ghost and there is no doubt in my mind that this property isn't haunted I know it is. There is allot of cold spots.....feelings of being watched.....and I do think that Lora's spirit remains at her castle even till this day.

Mrs. Knight always had guest stay at her summer home some would visit for a couple days others would stay the entire summer. There were no large elaborate parties just relaxing days spent around Eagle Falls and on the lake. She had a very large staff which was around 15 to 20 individuals who worked seasonally on the property while some stayed here yearly. She had a personal maid, chauffeur, serving maid, pantry maid, cook, assistant cook, assistant chauffeur, laundry workers, secretary and landscapers to continuouly upkeep the property. She had a caretaker and his family remain at the guest house all year long to upkeep the castle and its property.

Everyone sat at the large dining table for three meals a day while tea was served in the afternoon. At times the guest and Lora would enjoy tea on the upper terrace or in the library. However on occasion they would boat on out to the tea house on Fannette island where till this day it stands but it is just a shell of its mere glory. When guest visited her estate she had their autos serviced, washed and even filled with gas. If her guest left for the day to drive around Tahoe when they arrived back at the estate the car was immediately cleaned and gassed. She was an extremely hospitable woman who cared about her guest. The guest would range from children to elderly while even some were celebrities such as Will Rogers who visited the castle.

Days were spent relaxing such as boating, horseback riding, nature walks, picnics, scenic drives and swimming. This definitely was the place to do it as the area was surrounded by monolithic cedar and pine trees. While granite cliffs surrounding the bay and the stream at the lower half of Eagle Falls gives this place timeless beauty you really wont find anywhere else in this country. You have to hike around at Emerald Bay to understand what it is I am saying so perhaps this is why I have decided to share so many photos is that it truly is a place that all of us should cherish.

When Lora passed away the castle was sold to Lawrence Holland a rancher in NV who eventually sold it to a Harvey West by the 1950's a lumberman from Placerville Ca. Mr West was also a philanthropist and reached a deal with the state of California which basically stated that he would donate one half of the appraised value of the land as well as the castle if the state would pay him the other half. In 1953 that is when the state acquired the property and it became a part of the Emerald Bay State Park.

Today the castle is in renovation however they do give tours and if you Click Here: Vikingsholm Castle you can check out there site if you should decide you want to take one and if you want some more great views of the bay from Emerald Point Click Here: Emerald Point. I did find some of the history and information on that site for the history write up you are reading. One guest who lived there first 14 years of there life at the castle still returns here to give historical tours raising money to restore it to what it once was. However for the most part the castle sits desolate and only the ghost of the past haunt Emerald Bays hidden Castle and on occasion much like Scotland's Loch Tessie might come on up to enjoy Emerald Bays beauty. Now we get to share it with you and we hope that in the future we can bring you not only some great paranormal evidence of the area but other great content as well so you can admire it like we do. Also from Emerald Bay one can see the very monolithic Maggies Peaks of the Desolation Wilderness and Mt. Tallac which are clearly visible geological landmarks that dominant the landscape. If you were to hike around the bay one could easily hit the old Rubicon Trail which has some very important historical sites along an underwater park where ferries have sank and even a captain came up missing who lived on Lake Tahoe's only island known as Fannette Island!
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