One of the most remarkable collections of historic structures in West Virginia, Salt Sulphur Springs is the centerpiece of the Salt Sulphur Springs National Historic District in Monroe County, West Virginia. One of the best-known healing spring resorts in the southeastern U.S., it attracted thousands of guests annually before and after the Civil War, including dignitaries such as presidents Monroe, Madison, and Van Buren. In 1862, it was a headquarters for the Army of the Confederacy. In its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, the property was declared to be one of the largest pre-Civil War groupings of native stone in West Virginia, imbued with “a strong sense of place and time when Salt Sulphur ranked as a leading resort in the Upper South.” ATTRIBUTES AND HIGHLIGHTS On National Register of Historic Places Declared to be one of the largest pre-Civil War groupings of native stone buildings in West Virginia Rehabilitation Grants and Tax Credits Legacy historic mineral springs resort dating to circa 1816 Six buildings on the property: The Salt (old stone hotel), The Salt Cottages (2), Stone Chapel, Stone Spring House, Stone Bathhouse The Salt Stone Chapel will be included in the sale at a price to be determined ½ mile frontage on Indian Creek Three famous springs on property: “Sweet,” “Salt Sulphur,” and “Iodine” Sweeping views of West Virginia countryside On US-219 Scenic Byway 25 miles from The Greenbrier Resort 25 miles to I-64 at Lewisburg jet airport 38 miles to I-77 at Princeton 50 miles to Blacksburg, Va. LOCATION Google Coordinates: 37.570919°(N), -80.571051°(W) Address: 2 Salt Sulphur Lane, Union, WV 24983 Elevation Range: 1801 ft. to 1948 ft. +/- Driving Times Towns: Alderson: 35 minutes Athens and Concord University: 1 hour 5 minutes Beckley: 1 hour 20 minutes Blacksburg, VA and Virginia Tech: 1 hour 10 minutes Charleston, WV: 2 hours Lewisburg and Osteopathic School of Medicine: 35 minutes Peterstown: 30 minutes Princeton: 55 minutes Union: 5 minutes Airports: Greenbrier Valley Airport, Lewisburg: 45 minutes Mercer County Airport, Bluefield: 1 hour 10 minutes Raleigh County Memorial Airport, Beckley: 1 hour 20 minutes Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport, Blacksburg, VA: 1 hour 10 minutes Yeager Airport, Charleston, WV: 2 hours Recreation: Bluestone Lake, Hinton: 45 minutes Bluestone State Park: 50 minutes Camp Creek State Park & Forest: 1 hour Fountain Springs Golf Course: 25 minutes Mill Creek Nature Park Trails, Narrows, VA: 45 minutes Pipestem Resort State Park, Pipestem: 55 minutes State Fair of West Virginia, Fairlea: 35 minutes Willow Wood Golf Course: 40 minutes Winterplace Ski Resort, Ghent: 1 hour 15 minutes HISTORY OF “THE SALT” “If order, abundant and well prepared fare, excellent bedding, quiet and obliging domestics, impartial and gentlemanly efforts to promote health and comfort, have any influence upon public favor, the proprietors of the Salt Sulphur will certainly secure it.” – William Burke The history of The Salt Sulphur Springs Resort may most firmly be established in 1802, when a spring on Indian Creek was noted to possess medicinal qualities. In 1805, a second spring was discovered. These became the resort’s Sweet Sulphur Spring and Salt Sulphur Spring. As a result of the demand for “medicinal” spring waters among wealthy Southerners, the springs soon attracted visitors. In 1816, Ervin Benson, who had purchased 500 acres at the site in 1797, hired John Fullen, Sr., of Lexington, Va., to build the first stone building, the present-day Old Stone Hotel. The bathhouse, springhouse, and store building were soon added to meet the demand of an increasing clientele. Benson died before their construction in 1820, when his heirs, brothers-in-law William Erskine and Isaac Caruthers, assumed control of the springs.