Red Sulphur Springs is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, United States. It once boasted the Red Sulphur Springs Hotel. Red Sulphur Springs is located on

West Virginia Route 12 West Virginia Route 12 (WV 12) is a north–south route located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 219 in Peterstown, Monroe County, less than from the Virginia s ...

, close to Indian Creek.

History

Red Sulphur Springs was known as a watering place from 1800. The springs were purchased by Dr. William Burke of Richmond in 1830, who built a hotel to accommodate up to 350 guests. Among the notable guests to the springs were Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Roger Taney Roger Brooke Taney (; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was the fifth chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 1864. Although an opponent of slavery, believing it to be an evil practice, Taney belie ...

and

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

. The resort was disrupted by the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Ownership passed to

Levi Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as United States ambassador to France, as a U.S. representative from New York, and as the 31st Governor of Ne ...

, who had been

Vice-President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of the United States under

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

. He expanded the hotel, but the resort eventually failed. It was sold during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and divided into parcels, and the buildings demolished.Cohen, Stan, ''Historic Springs of the Virginias, A Pictorial History'', Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Charleston, WV, 1981, pgs. 156-157 BeyerRedSulphurSprings

References

Unincorporated communities in Monroe County, West Virginia Spa towns in West Virginia Unincorporated communities in West Virginia {{MonroeCountyWV-geo-stub