Throughout the 1840’s and 1850’s, resort continued to be owned by the group of Whigs who had formed the Shannondale Springs Corporation in 1838. During the 1840’s, at least, it appeared to prosper, and beginning about 1847 the hotel came under the management of John J. Abell. He is described by one correspondent to the Virginia Free Press as “ a gentleman of the most urbane manners, and assisted by that old Virginia gentleman, Capt. Thompson, gives an additional attraction to the place.” Abell seems to have been careful in the use of the hotel’s resources, suspending all credit to guests in 1848 and hiring out slaves used as domestic servants when they were not needed at the hotel.48 Despite the Shannondale Springs’ popularity, it is unlikely that the hotel was expanded during this period. Henry Howe’s depiction of an enlarged hotel in his Historical Collections of Virginia (1845) probably reflects the improvements made in 1838.49

The Abells’ associations with the U.S. Hotel in Harpers Ferry and the Shannondale Springs Hotel appear to have ended in 1848, with James B. Wager leasing the former establishment and Capt. M. Thompson overseeing Capt. Abell’s interests during his “absence.”50 The Springs’ biggest promoter, John S. Gallaher, accepted an appointment from President Taylor in October 1849 to be third Auditor of the Treasury and presumably moved his residence to Washington, D.C. By May 1850, an advertisement in the Spirit of Jefferson noted that the Shannondale Springs Hotel has been leased by Hall, Osburn & Co. and was undergoing thorough repairs. The following season, the proprietors promised that all was in a state of readiness for the June 10th opening and added that “They have procured the best Band of music, and most capable servants that can be found without regard to price.” According to one newspaper correspondent, the music was provided by

a band of colored musicians, and their favorite air is — “Carry me back to ole Virginny” which they play almost every day at dinner time; and sometimes in the evening, when the sun is sinking behind the western mountains, they give us a variety of Virginia melodies, with the variations, the favorite of which, among the ladies, appears to be — “Why don’t you stop dat knocking at da door?” 51

President Fillmore, Mr. Stewart, Secretary of War Charles Magill Conrad, and Postmaster General Nathan K. Hall visited Shannondale Springs in August 1851. The President first stopped at Harpers Ferry to inspect the Armory, then took a special train to Charles Town and a carriage to the Springs. He attended a ball given in his honor, stayed overnight at Shannondale, and then proceeded to Winchester.52

In 1852, when S. Howell Brown had completed his first detailed map of Jefferson County, he showed 11 buildings arranged around the hotel to the north and west, a bowling green to the northwest, and three mineral springs to the southwest of the hotel, between it and the river (Figure 9). The road to the ferry is shown on the north side of the river; a building is indicated at the ferry crossing; and the road from the ferry continues along the south bank of the river, passing in front of the hotel. Henry Howe’s 1845 illustration of Shannondale Springs, depicting an expanded hotel, was included as an illustration on the map.53

As late as 1854, the Springs seems to have done doing well. An article of the period notes, “The Proprietor has made every arrangement possible, to accommodate all who may favor him with their custom, and we have never seen Shannondale presenting more attractions to the votary of pleasure, or the invalid seeking health. His estimable lady and her assistants, spare no pains or exertions to provide every delicacy that can be furnished, which insures a table that no Watering place of the country can excel. — The Bar is still under the management of Mr. John W. Gallaher, who can’t be beat, and if you don’t get your moneys’ worth, he will make it up in a good song or a rich anecdote.” The writer reports that festivities included fireworks and a ball well attended by visitors from neighboring counties.54

If success of Shannondale Springs was tied to the patronage of prominent Whigs, the election of Democrat Franklin Pierce may have been the harbinger of hard times. After Pierce’s inauguration, John S. Gallaher and other Fillmore supporters lost their appointments. In April 1855, corporation president Samuel W. Lackland advertised that the Springs was for rent. A month later Lackland advertised that the furniture and 140 acres attached to the Springs were for sale. Lackland’s attempts to find a buyer appear to have been unsuccessful.55

With John S. Gallaher’s continued absence in Washington, the Virginia Free Press’s promotion of the hotel and reportage of its events dwindled. In March of 1858, a fire from a burning chimney progressed so rapidly that efforts to save the hotel were fruitless. Although the Free Press reported that “The entire buildings ... all now lie a mass of smoldering ruin,” the damage seems to have been limited to the hotel and a few adjacent structures. The reporter hoped “that the Springs and lands attached, in all about one hundred and ninety-six acres, may fall into the hands of capitalists, who will erect spacious accommodations, and the gaiety of former years be also inaugurated.”56

Before the hotel was rebuilt, the nation would experience the devastation of the Civil War and Jefferson County would endure the miseries of Reconstruction and its incorporation into the state of West Virginia. An era had ended at Shannondale Springs and its rebirth would be left for another generation to accomplish.

Figure 9. Portion of S. Howell Brown's 1852 map of Jefferson County, showing the Shannondale Springs resort