Cone estate

Nearly 250 guests dined, danced, admired the mountain views, and bid in auctions during the seventh annual Denim Ball on Sept. 5 at Camp Yonahnoka at the Linville Golf Club in Linville, N.C. Thanks to the generosity of guests, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation raised more than $245,000 to fund improvements at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock. Denim Ball photo gallery

We are thrilled to announce that the long-awaited transformation is underway at Flat Top Manor on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Last week, crews began repairs to the weathered exterior of the circa-1901 Colonial Revival home, the centerpiece of the 3,500-acre estate that is now Moses H. Cone Memorial Park.

The rehabilitation effort at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park is in for a big boost. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and National Park Service are pleased to announce that three projects focused on repairs to Flat Top Manor, milepost 294, have been selected to receive Centennial Challenge grants awarded by Congress.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are highlighting the life and work of Bertha Cone. Moses H. Cone Memorial Park in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, may bear the name of its philanthropist and conservationist founder, but after his untimely death a mere 10 years after the estate’s completion, his widow, Bertha, took up managing its 3,500 acres for nearly 40 years afterward.