This unforgettable structure in Montgomery County is without parallel in Virginia as an example of rustic work. Rustic architecture and furniture, most frequently associated with the Adirondack camps of the late-19th-century, employed untrimmed limbs, branches, and vines to give buildings and objects a naturalistic, “of-the-forest” look. The two-tiered Alleghany Springs Springhouse, a large octagonal pavilion, is supported on rough cedar posts with complex intertwined knots of rhododendron branches and roots forming brackets, railings, and even “vaulted” ceilings. Sheltered within is a marble counter for serving spring water. Established in 1853, Alleghany Springs in Montgomery County was one of Virginia’s most popular spas, until the main hotel burned in 1904. In one season following the Civil War, the springs hosted nine former Confederate generals. Now surrounded by modern houses, the fantastic Alleghany Springs Springhouse, built ca. 1890, is the principal reminder of this once-popular place.
The Alleghany Springs Springhouse was listed in the registers under the Prehistoric and Historic Resources of Montgomery County MPD.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia