Forest Lodge

Forest Lodge (HMGBT)

Location: Glen Allen, VA 23060 Henrico County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 39.94', W 77° 30.151'

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Inscription

Opulence in Glen Allen

John Cussons built Forest Lodge as a resort along the Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railroad where it intersects with Mountain Road in Glen Allen. The luxurious hotel had 125 rooms and stood six stories high. It took six years to build and was completed in the early 1880s.

Cussons, a successful entrepreneur, spared no expense for the construction of the building. The Victorian structure featured elaborate woodworking and handpainted murals of landscapes and portraitures throughout the interior. Each room had large windows to let in light and provide a pleasant view of the countryside. Visitors lounged on a wide porch that extended around the building on several floors. There was a grand dining room, a music room and an amateur theatre for entertainment.

Cusson's vision included a 1000-acre park surrounding the lodge, which included trails and three lakes for canoeing and fishing. Throughout the park, deer, partridges, peacocks, turkeys and other wild game roamed freely.

Cusson's dream was to entice travelers en route from Florida or New York to stop at this halfway point. Among Cussons' visitors to the lodge were Buffalo Bill and members of the Sioux tribe whom he lived with out west in the 1850s. He also organized a shareholder's group, the "Forest Lodge Association," whom jointly benefited and enjoyed the many features of the facility. While there was local success, the traveling public never made the resort a regular stop. The lodge remained open until 1912 when John Cussons died. The property went through a number of different owners and by 1932, half of the lodge was torn down. It was used sporadically as office space and apartments until it was razed in 1992.
Details
HM NumberHMGBT
Tags
Placed ByCounty of Henrico
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, September 20th, 2014 at 9:20am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 279274 N 4171667
Decimal Degrees37.66566667, -77.50251667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 39.94', W 77° 30.151'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 39' 56.40" N, 77° 30' 9.06" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)804
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 10501-10741 Old Washington Hwy, Glen Allen VA 23060, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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