Our Story.

Situated on a historic 42-acre estate that looks over Grandfather Mountain and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Westglow is serenely nestled in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain and the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  Constructed in 1917, the estate was originally the summer home of famed artist and writer Elliott Daingerfield. The focal point of the estate is the historic Manor House, built in the Greek Revival style of architecture and featuring many original Daingerfield furnishings and works of art. Westglow remained in the Daingerfield family until 1978 when Glynda Valentine purchased the estate as a private residence. As a pioneer in fitness and well-being, Glynda first realized the potential of converting Westglow into a retreat for wellness and relaxation, and Westglow Spa was born.  Longtime members Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer continued that legacy with their acquisition of the resort in 2006, initiating a massive restoration and renovation to create the world-class resort that became Westglow Resort & Spa.  The spa consistently ranked in the top ten destination spas in the world, achieving the number one ranking in 2017.  In 2010, Westglow was inducted into the prestigious Relais & Chateaux association of inns and resorts, one of only 100 in the United States at the time.  In 2020, a new chapter of Westglow was written, converting the resort into a destination wedding venue, transitioning all lodging to private home rentals, & maintaining the Life Enrichment Center as a day & member spa.

FAQs.

Was Westglow Elliott’s only
home in Blowing Rock?

Elliott Daingerfield had three houses in Blowing Rock. His first home was Edgewood Cottage on Main Street in downtown, across from St. Mary’s of Hills Episcopal Church. Edgewood Cottage is now part of the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum. Daingerfield’s second home, Windwood, remains a private residence even today.

When was Westglow
turned into a spa?

By 1991 Glynda Valentine’s children had grown up and moved out on their own. She envisioned turning Westglow into a place of wellness & healing. Westglow Resort & Spa was born, and we have been a haven for relaxation and health ever since.

Where was Elliott’s art studio located on the property?

Daingerfield’s studio once stood where our Life Enrichment Center is now located.  In addition to
a working office where many of his paintings were created, Daingerfield also taught future artists here 
and where friends and townspeople would come to 
visit. With large areas of north-facing windows, the studio was a working and social space for Daingerfield where he would often greet visitors to his home. In later years daughter Gwendolyn used the studio until it fell into disrepair and made way for the construction of the 
Life Enrichment Center.

How many Daingerfield paintings are in the Mansion?

There are six Daingerfield paintings in the Mansion, many of which were painted on property. Westglow also contains a number of artworks by his daughters Marjorie and Gwendolyn, one an accomplished artist and the other a sculptor.

Which room was
Elliott’s bedroom?

The Grand Master Suite was once the bedroom for Elliott and Anna Daingerfield. Veranda was the bedroom for his daughters and Greek key, which is above the kitchen was the maids room.

Elliott Daingerfield.

Westglow was once the summer retreat of writer and artist Elliott Daingerfield. One of America’s best-known landscape painters at the turn of the 20th century, Daingerfield gave the estate its name. He once described the experience of looking out over the rolling mountains — the same vistas that today’s guests view from the The Mansion at Westglow nearly a century later — this way: “The glow sinks down, the dark grows deep: Then I hear a voice in the slumberous air, the soft, sweet sigh of closed wings: 
My soul uplifts in silent prayer, for I know the message the Spirit brings.”

Daingerfield dedicated much of his artistic life to depicting images of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Southwest. He and his wife first visited Blowing Rock in 1886 and spent every summer thereafter in the small village. Westglow is the setting for his 
well-known work The Sisters, an undated work likely painted between 1920 and 1926. The grounds and gardens of Westglow appear in several of his paintings. The rhododendrons, so well-known to the Blowing Rock area and still visible in the gardens of Westglow today, were featured in at least one of Daingerfield’s still-life creations.