Moses Cone Memorial Park

STAFF REPORT

At about the turn into the 20th century, Moses Cone had become widely known as “The Denim King,” selling his textiles to the likes of Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco. While their manufacturing operations were mostly in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, with a home base near Greensboro, Cone and his wife Bertha, “summered” in the High Country.

The Cones started construction of the Flat Top Manor mansion in 1899 and it was finished in 1901. They also built out-buildings, including a carriage house and apple barn that survive even today, as well as servants’ quarters, caretakers’ farms and even a bowling alley.

Approximately 26 miles of carriage trails meander around the property, com- prised of 3,496 acres. For today’s locals, the trails are known by colorful names such as “The Maze,” the “Backside” and “The Road to Nowhere,” to name a few.

Moses Cone died in 1908, but Bertha survived another 39 years, passing in 1947. The family made the estate a gift to the Moses Cone Hospital, but it later was donated to the National Park Service, with the requirement that it be named Moses H. Cone Memorial Park.

Today, Flat Top Manor and the Moses Cone Estate are free for the public to enjoy. The carriage trails are popular spots for hikers, runners and horseback riders. From time to time, you might even catch a glimpse of a surrey with some fringe on top.

Flat Top Manor has a gift shop and an information center manned by the National Park Service. It also serves as a showplace for members of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, featuring artists and artisans from around the region who