Because Emerald Bay reminded her of a fjord in Norway, Lora J.M. Knight purchased 200 acres here in 1928 for $250,000 and commissioned her architect nephew to design a summer home that combined features of Scandinavian castles and churches. More than 200 workers completed Vikingsholm during one season in 1929. Knight used local timber for walls and hand-carved accents, along with stone quarried nearby for the foundation and exterior. For the interior, she toured Scandinavia to buy 18th- and 19th-century furnishings, and she also had workers reproduce additional pieces from antique drawings.