Historic Fauquier
White Sulphur Springs Remembered A company was sent forward, and as they advanced, Confederate artillery fire came from the Culpeper side of the Rappahannock. In response, the Union commander was ordered to shell the resort.
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By John Toler
auquier White Sulphur Springs, located about six miles southwest of Warrenton, was recently memorialized with a state historic marker. It notes that the story of the Springs goes back to the Native Americans who lived nearby on the Rappahannock River, and later by English colonists. Aware of the “healing waters” at the Springs, in 1791 Capt. Hancock Lee acquired the property, and built a small, primitive facility there for use by local residents. The popularity of mineral waters was growing, and in the mid-1830s, Hancock Lee Jr., in partnership with Thomas Green, acquired the Springs property and planned a new resort there. They raised $170,000, and built a large, four-story hotel facing 16 brick buildings forming a semi-circle in front of it. To the north on the main road was the Warrenton House, and to the south, “Rowdy Hall,” with 70 rooms for bachelor guests. Over the mineral spring was an octagonal canopy, and nearby was the bath house, offering hot and cold sulphur water. Extensive landscaping offered many outdoor activities, and linked the facilities with walkways. A racetrack was built on the flat land across the Rappahannock River. The Springs could accommodate 700 guests, who were served by free and enslaved Black workers. Staying for the entire season—including a comfortable room, delicious meals and amusements—cost only $75. Thomas Green was well-connected with state business and political leaders of the day, and in 1849 he was able to secure what promised to be a profitable summer for the company. A cholera epidemic threatened Richmond, and the General Assembly was moved inland for its two-month legislative session. Fauquier White Sulphur Springs was selected, and on June 11, legislators and their wives began arriving. Room and board was set at the cost of $7 per person per week. The House gathered in the ballroom, while the Senate held their meetings in Rowdy Hall. While there was important work to be done, much time was spent relaxing and enjoying the facilities. The General Assembly adjourned on Aug. 17, 1849, but there was one matter to be settled: payment for services rendered. Green tried to collect the money due three times, but was never paid for the state’s use of the Springs. The 1850s were financially good for the resort. Facilities were expanded and improved, and guests filled the rooms and cottages. It all ended with the Civil War. Strategically located on the road between Warrenton and Culpeper, the Springs was periodically occupied by Union troops. Often, when they departed, Confederates took their place, and
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Built in the 1830s, the hotels and cottages at Fauquier White Sulphur Springs were elegant and the landscaping extensive.
In 1878, years after most of the buildings at the Springs were lost in the Civil War, a new hotel and other structures rose in their place, including a five-story brick hotel. It burned in 1901. on Aug. 25, 1862, the 9th New York Cavalry was ordered from Warrenton to remove the Confederates and re-occupy the Springs. A company was sent forward, and as they advanced, Confederate artillery fire came from the Culpeper side of the Rappahannock. In response, the Union commander was ordered to shell the resort. Observing Confederate troops departing the resort over the bridge on the Rappahannock, he sent in a squadron of cavalry. They found the Springs deserted, but again the Confederate battery opened fire. The Union force withdrew and returned fire. The main hotel was hit and burned down, and another shell demolished the Norfolk House. It was never conclusively determined who delivered the fatal shots, although they most likely came from Union cannons. The property stood empty until 1877, when it was purchased by a new corporation with an old name, “Fauquier White Sulphur Springs Co.,” organized to
Go Green Middleburg | Fall 2020
reopen the resort. Stock was sold and work began on a new fivestory, 120-room hotel with a large saloon, dining room, elegant parlors, spacious ballroom and billiard poolroom. Heated by radiators and illuminated with gaslights, it also had a bowling alley, steam laundry and mechanical ice machine. The hotel and cottages were elegantly furnished, providing a capacity of 500 guests. But times were changing, and the days of mineral springs resorts were ending. There were other vacation options, and advances in medical treatments supplanted the “miracle waters.” For two sessions, 1896-97 and 1897-98, the Bethel Military Academy occupied the facilities. The hotel was destroyed in a disastrous fire in 1901, and no effort was made to return to the resort business. Subsequent owners were Robert C. Winmill and his daughter, Virginia W. Radsch, who sold the property to Walter P. Chrysler Jr. in 1943. Chrysler opened a restaurant in the Warrenton House and renovated the stables and carriage house into a clubhouse for the “Springs Field Club.” In 1953, the property was sold to William D. Doeller of Orlean. Doeller established a country club there, with a nine-hole golf course and a swimming pool. In 1965, the Springs was sold to the Fauquier Springs Country Club corporation, which expanded the golf course to 18 holes and added tennis courts. This arrangement changed in 1987, when the Sulphur Springs Investment Corporation became the property’s managing guardian and owner.
