The foregoing discussion provides strong evidence that Shannondale Springs was not used for commercial puposes until after Beeler and Griggs acquired two-thirds interest in the property in November 1819. John S. Gallaher, a life-long resident of the area and later part owner of the resort noted in 1838 that “The Shannondale Springs first attracted public attention in the Fall of 1819.... The late Dr. De Butts analyzed the Shannondale water in 1821.”15

Houses were definitely erected on the site by Beeler before July 1821. No work could have been done at the property until the spring of 1820, and there are indications that facilities were available by the summer of that year. First, Thomas Deakin of Harper’s Ferry advertised in the Farmers Repository for June 21, 1820, that “he intends keeping neat and substantial hack for hire at Harpers Ferry for accommodation of persons visiting Shannondale Springs.” Furthermore, Rosalie Stier Calvert reported visiting the Springs about the 15th of July 1820. Noting the efficacy of the waters, she lamented, “I would have liked to drink them for a whole week, but all the houses were full. We would have had to go back the same day except for the courtesy of a gentleman who had dined at our home several years ago and who gave up his room to us. However, it was so uncomfortable that we only stayed for two days.”16 Thus the opening of the Shannondale Springs resort can be pinpointed with some confidence to the summer of 1820.17

An undated painting of the Springs may document this phase of its construction. Entitled “A view of the Shannondale Springs and the Horse Shoe bend on the Shenandoah River,” the scene depicts a man, woman, and baby sitting on a hill on the north side of the Shenandoah River (possibly at Shannon Hill). Behind them, on the south side of the river lies a U-shaped collection of one and two-story buildings. No hotel is visible. In the lower right portion of the picture, the road leading to the ferry is shown as well as a structure on the riverbank and a boat crossing the river.18 3

During the construction of the “houses” at Shannondale Springs, Beeler had become indebted to William Clark, John Griggs, and Thomas Griggs, Jr., in the sum of $1,590.40. To repay this debt, he mortaged his interest in the property to Samuel W. Lackland and James Stephenson. The transaction included Beeler’s 4/9ths share in the 60-acre parcel, the ferry, and the mineral waters and full possession of the houses already erected by Beeler.19 In August 1821, Lackland and Stephenson sold their newly purchased 4/9th share in Shannondale Springs to James L. Ranson.20 Almost immediately, Ranson sold three of his four 1/9th shares to Thomas Brown, Samuel W. Lackland, and Thomas Griggs, Jr.21 At the same time, the four men entered into an agreement under which:

... the rent of the boarding establishment already erected for the next season shall be in proportion to the improvements for which each party has paid, To wit, said Griggs shall receive rent in proportion to the buildings heretofore erected by himself and for one fourth part of the improvements which were erected by Benjamin Beeler said Griggs having purchased one fourth part of Beeler’s interest in said property and that the said Lackland, Brown & Ranson shall each receive rent in proportion to his proportion to the improvements erected by said Beeler, to wit, each one fourth.... The rents and profits of the ferry and any buildings which may be attached to it shall always be received in proportion to the interest of each party therein, as first stated, and all the profits arising from the sale of water or other money for the use of it, and all baths and bath houses, shall also be in proportion to the shares of the said parties their heirs or assigns.... The parties herein further agree that John W. Page Esqr. of Fredk. County who holds the other [illegible] of said property shall at his option become a party to this agreement...22

This agreement indicates that the “boarding house” (i.e., hotel) was erected in the summer of 1821 by Thomas Griggs, Jr., along with several other structures (baths or bath houses) which augmented the houses constructed by Beeler the previous year. This sequence of events is substantiated by Samuel Kercheval (1835), who noted that “A company of gentlemen in its neighborhood joined and purchased the site, and forthwith erected a large brick boarding house, and ten or twelve small buildings for the accommodation of visitors.”23

To summarize ownership of the property in 1821, the 66+ acre tract containing the ferry, “houses,” “boarding house,” “baths and bath houses,” was owned by James L. Ranson (1/9th), Thomas Brown (1/9th), Samuel W. Lackland (1/9th), and Thomas Griggs, Jr. (6/9ths). Thomas Griggs, Jr., also owned 1/3rd of the adjacent 125-acre parcel. The remaining 2/3rds of the larger tract was owned by James Milton, a relative of Benjamin Beeler, who transferred his ownership of the property to Robert Milton in 1825.24

According to one contemporary source, James Monroe and his cabinet used Shannondale Springs as their summer White House (until 1825). Such presidential patronage may account for the resort’s initial success. After getting off to a good start in the early 1820’s, the Springs appears to have fallen upon hard times, lasting perhaps until the late 1830’s. Until the arrival of the railroads and the C & O Canal, access to the resort from Washington, Richmond, or Baltimore would have been difficult. The reputation of the resort also appears to have suffered during this period. Kercheval noted that, when it first opened, “A few extraordinary cures were effected by the use of the water, of obstinate scorbutic complaints, and it suddenly acquired a high reputation.” Writing in 1838, John S. Gallaher observed that, “After passing through various vicissitudes, and encountering many prejudices, as well as no small share of obloquy, the most impartial, as also competent judges, have at length stamped upon these waters that character to which they were early entitled, and which gives them a just claim to rank with the most celebrated mineral waters of this country.” Another writer recalled that “The few bilious cases that occurred here in the summer of 1822, — a season well remembered of general bilious sickness throughout the country, — has unfortunately but unfairly been remembered to have occurred here, when forgotten as having happened at other places. ” Another visitor to the Springs writing in 1838 believed that disagreements among the original owners had lead to the resort’s being only partially completed and that the original buildings deteriorated to the point where no guests could be accommodated.25

The layout of the early resort was well documented by the pen of Charles Burton about 1831.26 (See Figures 2 and 3.)

Figure 2. "Shannondale Springs, Virginia." Drawing by C. Burton, New York, engraved and printed by Fenner, Sears & Co. Published: London, September 1, 1831, by I.T. Hinton & Simpkin & Marsh.

Burton's illustration shows the hotel as a two-story red-roofed, white structure with an additional basement and a porch spanning the entire first floor. The first and second floors show eight rectangular windows evenly spaced across the front; the basement level reveals eight evenly spaced square windows. Ten single-story structures form a rough semicircle around the hotel. A barn-like structure and a two-story house lie close behind the cottages on the southeast. Far in the distance to the southwest, two other buildings can be seen near the edge of the woods. Near the river’s edge, to the northwest of the hotel, two small buildings are located near the Shannondale Ferry. The latter structures may include the ferryman’s house (known to be located there in 1848 and 1852) and another building associated with the ferry operation. Up hill from these structures, several people can be seen lounging in the shade of a tree, possibly at the site of one of the springs.

An undated pencil sketch of Shannondale Springs (probably from the 1840's) presents an additional view of the resort from across the river (Figure 4). At the far upper left is the cliff later known as Lover's Leap; a cabin appears on the lower left. Several boats and bathers are in the river between the near riverbank and the ferry landing. Two structures appear on the far side at the ferry landing. Six cottages are visible near the hotel. A farmhouse and barn is shown up hill. At the crest of the hill is a long, narrow building, possible the bowling alley.

Figure 3. Portion of an 1832 map, showing the Shanndonale Springs resort. The map has been turned so that its orientation matches that of Burton's illustration. If the "Road" shown is accurate for the time, it had to make a steep climb from the ferry to the crest of the hill behind the hotel. It must have been soon replaced by one that followed the riverbank.

Figure 4. Undated (1840's?) pencil sketch of Shannondale Springs from across the river. Photograph by W. Theriault from original drawing. Courtesy of the Jefferson County Museum

Shares of the resort property were frequently bought and sold throughout the first half of the 1830’s, perhaps reflecting economic hardship, cholera epidemics, or speculation based on the arrival of the railroads.27 The C & O Canal reached Harpers Ferry in 1833, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1834, and the Winchester & Potomac Railroad in 1835. Extolling the virtures of the Springs, John S. Gallaher, owner of Charlestown’s Free Press, noted in 1835 that:

Shannondale Springs ... can be reached in less than a day by travellers from Baltimore. They may start from that city at 5 in the morning, dine at Harpers-Ferry at 1, and be here by 3. They can then ride out, in one hour more, to the Springs, or, (which would be far preferable by-the-by,) they can defer riding out till the cool of the morning, and, in the meantime, rest themselves at some of our hotels, where they will be regaled with delicacies not surpassed by the rich tables of Hussey himself. On the other hand, the citizens of the District have ready access to this watering place, by way of the Little River Turnpike, which crosses the river a few miles above, and by the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. From the west, too, is ready access by means of stages, two lines of which run daily from Winchester to this place and Harpers-Ferry.28

Shannondale Springs was now accessible to the wealthy and influential from Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond and the improvements in transportation were opening up new markets for the area’s natural resources. The heyday of Shannondale Springs was about to begin.