Fred Loring Seely

Fred Loring Seely worked in pharmaceuticals and newspaper publishing before moving to Asheville, where he supervised the construction and design of the Grove Park Inn. His interests combined business, architecture, social reform and regional development.

In 1917 Seely purchased Biltmore Estate Industries from Edith Vanderbilt, renamed it Biltmore Industries and moved its workshops near the Grove Park Inn. The company became known for fine handwoven wool cloth and Arts and Crafts production. These Tangled Threads uses Seely and the real business as the institutional setting for its fictional master weavers and their 1924 commission.