A Peek into Summers County’s Past: Sweet Springs Hotel

SWEET SPRINGS W.Va. (Hinton News) – This week’s series is going to be a little lackluster in details. The internet has been out all day, and I haven’t been able to write one of my more in-depth pieces.

So, I will share two of the early photos of the Sweet Springs Hotel I uncovered while assisting my late friend and Summers County historian Ashby Berkley in his restoration efforts after he purchased the property at auction on November 12, 2015. From that time till he passed on October 12, 2024, he and I got pretty close.

He had decades of experience saving historic properties in Summers County. Such as the world-famous Riverside Inn in Pence Springs. The Pence Springs Spring House property, which he operated as an antique store and flea market again for decades. The Pence Springs Hotel, as well as several historic homes in the country. 

In 2015, his love for history and saving historic properties flowed into Monroe County. Ashby told me the day before the auction that he was going to go with the intention of purchasing it. And just that he did after outbidding a phone bidder from another country.

I could go on and on about this man and the things we did, especially relating to local history, which I will delve into more later when I am not having to type my weekly story on my phone, ha.

I uncovered many historic photos for Ashby to use. One of which is this early photo of the hotel itself. Notice the roof on the three identical sections. (There are now 4 sections) The one on the far left is shingle, while the center and far right section is the original standing seam tin roofing. 

Then notice the vast sprawling complex of Sweet Springs. We came to the conclusion that this was a concept for what was intended and was never completed. Basically, everything from the large center brick structure around to the large hotel on the right was built.

The large one in the center was torn down. The two-story brick structures between it and the hotel were referred to as “the sisters”. There are other early wooden frame buildings and newer industrial buildings that remain today. But not even one half of the original proposal was built and less than half of that remains today.