What Happened to the American Dukes and Their Palatial Mansions?

I appreciate your longer content, which allows the viewer to follow a thread connecting a number of houses and how they are part of a family’s history.

I always wonder what happens when people with multiple residences are looking for that green sweater they just have to wear? Does that start a barrage of phone calls by the servants to different homes, or does one just buy that green sweater for every single house? Oy, such problems!

I had never seen a lot of the earlier Duke homes in Durham before. Thanks Ken!

I love all your videos and look forward to them along with the included history lesson. You are very knowledgeable. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Amazing homes. A 40,000 sqft house is mind boggling. If I had a little bit of money, I would be happy just to have a personal chef.

Thank you Ken. I love this new format 15 mins is perfect 👌 🤩♥️

Thanks Ken! An amazing story and an amazing video.

Doris Duke was larger than the life she inherited - she broke traditions, boundaries and stereo types in high style with no regrets. Her story is worthy of a movie - and it all began on a sharecropper tobacco farm in pre Civil War North Carolina.

James "Buck" also founded Duke Energy. Duke Energy's history began more than a century ago when James B. Duke led a group that built a system of lakes and dams along the Catawba River to generate electricity that would drive the economic growth of the Piedmont Carolinas. Through the years, many other companies have joined this tradition.

I have an interest in Doris Duke after living in Newport. I visited Rough point several times. I think it is my favorite of the summer cottages. Her story is so interesting. Bittersweet.

From 1820 to 1993 in one video. And so many houses! Great video.

Thanks for posting, love your videos.

Nice story about the dukes and how they got rich at the expense of many of their customers getting sick from the tobacco. I'm so glad today that the governments are going after these companies and getting them to pay some of the medical bills of people who are getting sick from the tobacco. My dad, rest is soul, was I think one of them!

One of your best videos Ken, thank you. I always wonder what happened to the salvageable materials when a mansion is demolished.

This was terrific! I learned a lot from this episode.

Great story, and i am glad she did important things with her money. Thanks ken

And I guess there's more about the Duke fortunes(?) Great video 👍👏

All magnificent but my favourite Duke mansion is one that wasn't built. Horace Trumbauer designed an enormous French chateau style mansion for Duke Farms. The floor plan and an image of what it would have looked like can be found on-line.

Doris Duke and Duke Uni--didn't know there was a connection. ❤❤Brodie's Durham County Italianate mansion. The interior of Ben's mansion didn't disappoint either, including the second Manhattan mansion. Ditto for Buck's mansion. The lives and grand homes of the extraordinarily wealthy--so interesting.. Thank you, Ken.

Learned something NEW!!. Did not know they were the originators of the tobacco companies!. Now i know Why they became so wealthy!. I like that original red brick townhouse mansion facing Central Park!. It just went up for sale a year or two ago. I viewed a virtual tour and was completely UNIMPRESSED!. The ONLY thing left is the structure--but the new designers had to modernize the whole frickin thing. No ornate chandeliers, or period French style furniture (which is what those rooms were designed to showcase!!). Well, at least its still here. And, we all can still aspire!!. Lol. 🍾🥂⚜️