The cupola and columns are the last remaining architectural elements from this former resort hotel, Forest Lodge, built by Capt. John Cussons, a native Englishman, Confederate scout, author and entrepreneur.
Forest Lodge was a luxurious hotel which had 150 rooms and stood six stories high on 1,000 acres of land. It took six years to build and was completed in the early 1880s. The Victorian structure featured elaborate woodworking and hand-painted murals of landscapes and portraiture throughout the interior. There was a grand dining room, a music room, and an amateur theatre for entertainment.
The park surrounding the lodge included trails, three lakes for canoeing and fishing, and wild game roaming freely. John Cussons, who constructed the lodge, hoped to entice travelers who were en route from Florida to New York to stop at this halfway point.
