Set in the mountains of Rockbridge County west of Lexington, this former resort was once one of Virginia’s most noted antebellum spa complexes. In its heyday Rockbridge Alum Springs ranked second only to the White Sulphur Springs in Montgomery County in prestige and popularity. The mineral spring itself is at the base of a cliff and is housed in a columned pavilion topped by a statue of Hygeia. The original complex, consisting of a central hotel flanked by cottages and service buildings, has mostly disappeared. At the time of its listing in the registers in the late 1980s, the owner restored four original buildings and the spring pavilion. In their pastoral wilderness setting, they form a nostalgic image of a happy and active place. The Rockbridge Alum Springs were originally developed by Alexander Campbell. Most of the buildings of the formerly thirty-six-building complex were erected after 1852 by John W. Frazier.