Springhouse of Alleghany Springs

On what was the grounds of Alleghany Springs, but is now the lawn behind a modern brick ranch house, the springhouse is a rustic reminder of the past. The arrival of the railroad to Southwest Virginia in the 1850s brought visitors to Alleghany Springs, one of Virginia's most popular springs resorts. All that remains is this two-tiered, hipped-roofed octagonal pavilion framed with cedar posts. Gnarled rhododendron branches and roots are twined into open walls with railings and a “vaulted” ceiling. Although this is a rare structure, it is—more or less—a large version of the era's rustic outdoor furniture. The spring itself, located in the center of the structure in a small pit, has been blocked and the patrons who once took its waters twice or more daily have long since vanished.