Chinqua-Penn Plantation: A Collection Of International Antiquity and Ancient Artifacts

At the beginning of the 20^th century, prior to the Wall Street Crash of 1928, and as a result of virtually unregulated industrial and financial expansion a number of select American families had accumulated a great deal of wealth. Powerful and ruthless men like Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, John Jacob Astor, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and James B. Duke turned their almost monopolistic control of railroads, the steel industry, the fur trade, Banking, Oil production and tobacco into enormous, some would say, un-measurable fortunes.

In addition to living a life of luxury each of these aptly labeled "Robber Barons" elected to demonstrate their great wealth by building architectural wonders which often included several ornate mansions of incredible size and beauty scattered around the country.

These edifices included not only the opulent 'palaces' in which the rich and powerful lived, such as the Vanderbilt's home "the Breakers" and the Astor's "Beechwood" or the Hearst's "Hearst Castle", but also included even more elaborate secondary homes and "Summer Cottages", including Vanderbilt's famous Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, a 250 room architectural wonder which is documented as the largest private home in America.

The one common thread among these incredibly rich and narcissistic families was a competitive desire to build increasingly extravagant monuments to their wealth and to themselves.

Amid all the opulence and displays of untold wealth I have discovered one "American Castle" that while sharing a few of the characteristics of the homes built by the wealthy "Robber Barons" is rather unique on the American scene. It is "unique" not in the sense that it surpasses or even matches the size and beauty of the mansions described above, but in its' character.

You will not find the name of "Chinqua-Penn" among those of the elaborate, ostentatious, estates of America's wealthy tycoons...You will find it on the gatepost before entering a beautiful, oak shaded drive which leads one between mowed green fields and scattered wild flowers before revealing the façade of a lovely 27 room English Countryside Manor home just outside of Reidsville, North Carolina.

Thomas Penn, the heir to the Penn Tobacco Company, built Chinqua-Penn in 1925. Like his wealthier counter-parts Penn had benefited from the sale of his father's profitable tobacco company to American Tobacco in 1911 and upon his marriage in 1923 proceeded to build a 31,000 square foot country estate in the rolling hills of Piedmont North Carolina.

The home itself, while far from ornate, is very attractive as it blends into the country setting, in which it is located. Primarily constructed of native stone and timber the façade is occasionally interrupted by timbers interspersed at central points as if to provide a focal point when observing the mansion.

The true beauty of Chinqua-Penn and what separates it from Biltmore and its' more opulent neighbors is not found in architecture, but in its' unique furnishings. The rustic old English style mansion is filled with art and furniture and priceless artifacts collected by the Penns during their 35 years of travel to over 30 different countries around the globe.

The wonderful and inspirational mix of styles and origins of artifacts representing virtually every corner of the globe have awed curators and directors from museums and galleries throughout the country.

On walking through the house the initial impression one gets is what a lovely and comfortable home Chinqua-Penn provides. The spacious living room with its' high vaulted ceiling of exposed walnut beams and its' huge stone fireplace is tastefully furnished with a treasure trove of antiques ranging from antique furniture and lamps to wall coverings and tapestries.

At first glance this room it appears to be furnished in French provincial style, but soon one realizes he/she is in the midst of an eclectic worldwide collection of styles and origins.

Entering this great room one passes through a graceful arch supported by two Italian stone columns sculpted in early renaissance style. Our guide informed us that the tiles above the arch were antique Spanish tiles on which the story of Don Quixote is depicted. However, before we weighed the decision to consider this room to be of Spanish-Italian décor our guide quickly pointed out the Chinese temple lanterns that hung from large wooden beams that had been elaborately gilded by a Scandinavian artist and provided a source of indirect light for the 17^th century French tapestry depicting Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.

As we exited the room our guide pointed out countless figurines, candlesticks, small cups and chinaware, silver candelabras, and delicate, miniature bowls, on display various antique tables throughout the room.

As our tour continued throughout the house we were stunned to see endless collections and treasures including 13^th century Indian marble, 16^th century vases, hand carved antique walnut door frames, antique Chinese dolls, bronze statues from Egypt which date to 1600 BC, a bronze head of Buddha obtained in China, hand woven antique drapes, antique silver from Spain, sculpted flower fonts, beautiful floor lamps resting on antique Italian marble bases and an exquisite replica of a chair found in King Tut's tomb.

Upstairs in the house three guests bedrooms were dedicated named the Italian room, the Chinese room and the French (Empire) room and were decorated with furniture and furnishings from those respective countries. Native art, linens, curtains, wall coverings, mirrors, lamps, wash basins, pitchers and furniture reflected the theme of each room.

While the tourist appeal of the house is found in its' thousands of unique objects d'art and its' historical collection of worldwide artifacts I found the house itself appealing. While the Penns have long since passed touring the house gives one an immediate sense of the lives they led. When not traveling the world both Penns loved the outdoors and Jeff Penn was an avid horseman and hunter. One can feel his presence in the 'muck room', a small but cozy room with rough hewn cedar paneling in which Penn would dress for hunting or hiking. The room is filled with old leather boots, bridles, hunting coats and hats and other remnants of his sporting activities.

The presence of Betsy Penn fills the living quarters. Her love of wildlife and nature is reflected in everything from paintings to painted china and wall coverings.

The formal gardens around the estate include Italian, French and Chinese statues and decorative pieces. Betsy also imported Shrubs, tress and various garden plants see had found while traveling abroad.

Perhaps the most eye catching object on the manor is the Chinese Pagoda Betsy brought back to the estate and which is now located adjacent to the outdoor swimming pool.

There is not enough time or space to list all of the fascinating items and artifacts, which fill the rooms, and hallways of Chinqua-Penn. Every square foot of this 31,000 square foot manor contains a treasure piece representing some part of the world and some small piece of history.

It suffices to say touring this unique house is an experience one will never forget.

The world of Chinqua-Penn is a fascinating one. It cannot compete with the grandeur of Biltmore or the opulence of The Breakers, but it is a world of its' own. It is a unique and wonderful capsule of the world visited by and captured and loved by Jeff and Betsy Penn.

It is worth the visit.