9Jul/090
Castle in the Clouds
Today we toured Castle in the Clouds. This castle was the mountain top estate belonging to Tom Plant. Tom Plant (1859-1941) made his fortune in the shoe manufacturing industry, retiring as a millionaire at age fifty-one, having sold his business to the United Shoe Machinery Company in 1910.
After retiring Mr. Plant starting acquiring land. This land totaled roughly 6300 acres of land reaching all the way to Lake Winnipesaukee. In 1913-1914 Mr. Plant had this mansion built consisiting of 16 rooms. One of the unique rooms I enjoyed was a hidden reading room that was accessed by a 3 foot tall door to the right of the fireplace. By the time of his death Mr. Plant was broke and the house was taken by the banks.
