George Washington’s Mount Vernon, located just outside Washington, D.C., is one of the most visited historic estates in the United States. (Courtesy Library of Congress) Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, is the largest privately owned home in the United States, spanning approximately 178,000 square feet. (Courtesy Library of Congress) Graceland was built in 1939 for Ruth Brown Moore and her husband, Dr. Thomas Moore, and they named it after her Aunt Grace Toof.