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Provenance

From the estate of Larry Derrer, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Rawley Springs Hotel Building Specifications, circa 1880, SC 0369, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Purchased at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates' Americana Auction on March 22, 2024.

Biographical / Historical

Rawley Springs is located approximately ten miles west of Harrisonburg along U.S. Route 33. By 1825 Rawley springs was being promoted as a resort due to the medicinal properties of the waters. Fire struck the resort in 1886 and several buildings were burned including the Virginia House and Washington House. They were rebuilt but burned again in 1915.

Anthony Hockman, who coincidentally died the same night as the 1886 fire, is credited with constructing the Virginia House, the primary building at the resort. Hockman was a builder and contractor based in Harrisonburg.

Scope and Contents

Three pages outlining the building specifications for a four-story hotel ("center building") at Rawley Springs Resort, presumably for the building known as the Virginia House. Includes a general description and details on elevation, foundation, porch, flooring, weatherboarding, shingles, windows, and doors. The part of the document listing out the amount of plank needed for the structure is signed by Anthony Hockman, a builder and contractor who was based in Harrisonburg.

Related Material

Rawley Springs Promotional Photograph Album, circa 1875, SC 0344, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Buildings -- Specifications -- Virginia -- Harrisonburg
• Derrer, Larry, 1944-2022
• Harrisonburg (Va.) -- Buildings, structures, etc
• Hotels -- Virginia -- Harrisonburg
• Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
• Rawley Springs (Resort)
• Rawley Springs (Resort) -- History
• Specifications