Forest Lodge
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.
Marker is at the intersection of Old Washington Highway and Mountain Road, on the right when traveling south on Old Washington Highway.
Courtesy hmdb.org
