Day Trip: Blue Ridge Tunnel and Swannanoa Mansion, Afton, Virginia

The day after my stay in Staunton, Virginia, I drove east about 19 miles through Waynesboro to Afton, Virginia, to take part in a photography event at the Swannanoa Mansion.

But before that, I checked out the east entrance of the Blue Ridge Tunnel just a few miles away.

The tunnel was built in the 1850s. From Wikipedia:

"At 4,237 feet (1,291 m) in length, the tunnel was the longest tunnel in the United States at the time of its completion. The Chesapeake and Ohio routed trains through the tunnel until it was abandoned and replaced by a new tunnel in 1944. Records show that about 800 Irishmen and 40 enslaved African American laborers worked on the tunnel and there were 189 recorded deaths during its construction including men, women, and children who died during a cholera epidemic in 1854."

I was struck by how this rock formation near the entrance looks like a face.

By 12:30 p.m., I was off to the mountains for a tour of Swannanoa with a few hours to take pictures both inside and outside this lavish palace. It was built in 1912 by millionaire and philanthropist James H. Dooley as a summer home for him and his wife, Sallie May. It was later passed on to James' sisters, and at one time was a country club that entertained President Calvin Coolidge on his hunting trips.

Along the front of the mansion. Marble was brought over from Italy and carried up by mule.

Later the mansion would serve as the University for Science and Philosophy, which offered a home-study course.

"In 1948 Dr. Walter Russell and his wife Lao were searching for a new home for their art and cosmic consciousness center. Walter (1871-1963) was a talented luminary known for his artistry, music, philosophy, sculpting, and writing." - Swannanoa: Deconstructing an American Palace

If you want to read about the crazy history of this home, go to this website. Here are more pictures of the exterior and interior.

Now removed, sculptures were once positioned within the nooks of this fountain.

A lookout tower behind the house.

A fresco painting above the stairs in the main entrance.

The staircase on the first floor of the main entrance.

Photographers in our group receiving an oral history of the magnificent stained glass window.

This Tiffany window with over 4,000 pieces cost $100,000 to install in 1912.

Notice the detail of this carved gold ceiling in a room just off the main entrance.

Deterioration of old buildings and fixtures has a certain kind of beauty to it.

Ornate lamps and detailed wood mantels can be viewed in several rooms.

How to get yourself in two mirrors in one shot.

Only a few pieces of furniture remain throughout the house.

James H. Dooley and his wife Sallie May Dooley. Sallie May died on the second floor in 1925.

When I win the lottery and make this my summer home.

Check out my day in Staunton, Virginia here.

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