The Lynncote Historic District [†] encompasses a small group of residential properties associated with Emma Payne Erskine Corwin (1854-1924), a noted author, artist, social activist, and real estate developer, just outside the town limits of Tryon, North Carolina. The district includes the residual acreage of the Lynncote estate built by Charles and Emma Erskine of Racine, Wisconsin, as a seasonal residence in the 1890s. Lynncote stands approximately three-fourths of a mile north of Tryon and approximately one mile southwest of the rural community of Lynn. While much of the acreage in the district belongs to Lynncote, the estate Ms. Corwin built with her first husband, Charles Erskine (1847-1908), the Lynncote Historic District primarily contains resources built after the first house burned in 1916 and she married Cecil S. Corwin of New York, an architect. Emma Corwin was deeply involved in the cultural life of Tryon— painting and writing, giving talks to the Lanier Club, and providing land and raising funds for the construction of a new library building. She managed the estate following the death of Charles Erskine, developed portions of the property to support herself, and expanded into other areas of real estate development.
The original house called Lynncote, completed in 1896, was built by Charles and Emma Erskine of Racine, Wisconsin, who purchased the Tryon property in 1892. The Lynncote estate included extensive landscaping executed by Charles Erskine, an estate road through the property, and a writing studio where Emma Erskine produced her best-known works. The Erskines frequently hosted guests and social events at Lynncote. The original house burned in 1916, leaving only portions of the first story stone walls that were incorporated into a new house constructed between 1927 and 1928 by the Erskines' daughter Susan and her husband Carroll P. Rogers. The house, also called Lynncote, is a picturesque Tudor Revival-style house designed by prominent regional architect Erle G. Stillwell. The second Lynncote was listed in the National Register for its local significance in the area of architecture.
† Clay Griffin, Acme Preservation Service, Lynncote Historic District, nomination document. 2022, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.
