Old Sweet Springs
Old Sweet Springs[1] was a resort known for its natural warm spring waters, founded in Sweet Springs, Virginia, United States (now Sweet Springs, West Virginia) in 1792.
History
Old Sweet Springs is known as the Jefferson Place by many of the locals due to the belief that the main building from the 1830s was designed by Thomas Jefferson himself.
The resort was well known in its time and was visited by many famous people including George Washington, James Madison, Franklin Pierce, Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Marquis de Lafayette, and Robert E. Lee. The current buildings of the resort were constructed in 1833. Due to its remote location, the resort closed its doors in 1930 and remained vacant for several years before the state of West Virginia purchased it in 1941. The resort was then turned into a home for the elderly and was renamed the Andrew S. Rowan Memorial Home. The old-people's home closed in 1993.
Current use
For several years the property was left unoccupied and passed between several owners, however as of 2010 the buildings were starting to receive restoration attention.[2] There were plans to restore the resort to its former condition, with amenities such as a golf course, health spa, and skiing.
- Selected images
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Sweet Springs, General View
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Main building "Sweet Springs Hotel", State Route 311, Sweet Springs in 1933
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Main building "Sweet Springs Resort" in 2007
See also
References
External links
Media related to Old Sweet Springs at Wikimedia Commons- Sweet Springs Resort - History and photos
- "Taking the Waters: 19th Century Mineral Springs: Sweet Springs." Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia
- Photos, history, and audio story from the Traveling 219 project
Coordinates: 37°37′43″N 80°14′30″W / 37.62861°N 80.24167°W