Just about 4 miles (6.44 km) south of Amelia Courthouse on 614 or Dennisville Rd, is this old former dairy farm, that more than a few people have told me, was once the most productive dairy farm in the area.
No one goes into dairy farming to get rich, they do it because they love it. It is a 24/7/365 job, no days off, no vacations, the cows need to be milked every day, several times.
This is such a pretty building from the outside at night, mainly from the outside. On the inside, the Virginia Crossings Hotel, needs some work, but the staff is outstanding. From Jennifer aka J-Lo the bartender to my favorite person there, Selene the Restaurant manager, the staff was 110% pleasant! The rest of the facility could really use some work.
Things like the brick walkways and the room door wouldn’t open unless you gave it a shoulder because the bolt wouldn’t fully retract, the bathroom sink clogged and rub rails missing in the halls. I think the walls and ceiling, pictured below, require a little more than a fresh coat of paint. The photo is a little exaggerated to show it a bit better. At first, I thought it was some painting technique to give it a pseudo wall paper effect, but then I noticed the ceiling had the same issue. I don’t think I want to know what it looks like behind the drywall.
Come on, Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center, get it together, but I am sure there is a COVID-19 excuse there somewhere. Yes, I would return to this hotel because the staff is 110% outstanding. If you go there, try the “Breakfast Cookie”, after chatting with the Head Chef, and him not sharing the Secret recipe, my wife has spent the past few weeks trying to replicate them, she is at a 95% solution currently.
Gathright Dam and subsequently Lake Moomaw, were created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to control flooding of the Jackson River, and protect the city of Covington. The dam is named after Thomas Gathright, the owner of the majority of the land flooded by the dams’ construction. The lake is named after Benjamin Cline Moomaw, Jr. a Covington businessman who was influential in getting the dam built.
Sorry, there are not many pictures, as we kind of stumbled across the dam, we had other plans, but plans change when you see a sign that says, “Turn here for Lake Moomaw”. There were not many places to get many good views of the lake, and not an easy lake to drive around.
The dam’s primary purpose is to control the levels of the Jackson river, and indirectly the James River, protecting thousands of square miles of Virginia, including the cities of Lynchburg and Richmond along the tens of thousands of people.
The Dam is over 1,300 feet (396.24 m) long, and more than 250 feet (76.2 m) tall, the base of the structure is 1,000 feet (304.8 m) wide, and 35 feet (10.67 meters) at the top. The dam impounds between 40 and 130 Billion gallons of water.
The tower pictured below is called the “Intake tower”, which is confusing, since it is used to release water to maintain the downstream flow of the Jackson river. Also pictured below is a staircase, all the way to the bottom, to provide access to various instruments that monitor the dam.
Lake Moomaw’s impoundment is between 30 and 137 Billion gallons of water, it has a surface area of roughly 4 square miles which fluctuates with water level. The lake is normally drawn down 10 to 15 feet over the summer months. The lake is surrounded by 43 miles (69.2 km) of wild shoreline.
Sorry, there are not more pictures, we were unable to make it to the other side of the lake where there are more facilities.
The US Forest Service manages the campsites around the lake, there are 140 campsites and 33 RV sites with Electrical hookups. The campsites are closed though the winter months. There are 4 boat ramps around the lake to launch boats up to 25 feet (7.62 m).
Baskerville Mill was built in #### to support the grain milling needs of the area farms. The building was demolished around 2019 due to the continued deterioration of building, but the dam still remains. There is not a lot of history available on the mill that I can find, but if I do find more information I will share it right here..
Falling Spring Falls a beautiful sight to see, and I will be fortunate to be visiting again real soon. The falls are located on US-220 in Allegheny County, visiting can be tricky on a busy day as there are a very limited number of parking spots and the highway can be very busy. Look for updates in about 2 weeks.
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