COOLFONT MANOR HOUSE

In 1756, a British veteran of General Edward Braddock’s defeat during the French and Indian War built a cabin near cool springs in the Sir John’s Run Valley along the eastern slope of Cacapon Mountain. More than 150 years later, prolific author, ecologist and presidential appointee, Herbert Quick, chose the same site to live out his “back-to-the-farm” philosophy. In 1916, Quick built the stately stone Manor House, pond and several outbuildings as the centerpiece of his experimental farm. He called it Coolfont in honor of the springs. The Manor House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A half century later, the work of this early environmentalist and conservationist was expanded upon with the creation of Coolfont Resort in 1965 by the Ashelman and Capen families. The Manor House served as the site of the Coolfont Foundation’s cultural presentations and Quick’s orchards and gardens supplied the resort restaurant. The cool springs provided the resort’s water supply. An underground tunnel leads from the mansion to a small springhouse.

Currently, Coolfont is under development as a prestigious residential spa and resort community of nearly 1000 acres. Among its miles of mountain hiking trails is the Green Trail to historic Prospect Rock where George Washington often rode.

The Cold Run Valley, much of it occupied by Coolfont, is considered the source aquifer for the warm mineral waters of Berkeley Springs.