Rapidan Camp
N 38° 29.444 W 078° 25.232
17S E 724970 N 4263418
Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah National Park was built by President Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry Hoover, and served as their rustic presidential retreat during his administration.
Waymark Code: WM3VP3
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 05/22/2008
Views: 13
After Hoover's inauguration in 1929, the Hoovers selected a site at the headwaters of the Rapidan River in the Blue Ridge Mountains to serve as a weekend getaway. It was within 100 miles of Washington, D.C., 2,500 feet above sea level to avoid mosquitoes, and close to an trout stream for fishing.
The Hoovers personally bought the land, building materials, and furnishings. The Marine Corps provided construction labor as a 'military exercise'. The Hoovers initially envisioned a village of tents, but soon decided on a more permanent settlement. The Marines built thirteen assorted buildings including a lodge, two mess halls, cabins and a Town Hall. They also created several miles of hiking trails, a stone fountain, concrete-lined trout pools, and an outdoor fireplace
for photo ops. Mrs. Hoover oversaw the project.
Today only 3 of the original buildings remain -- the Brown House, the Prime Minister's Cabin, and the Creel.
(Rapidan Camp has also been waymarked in U.S. National Register of Historic Places.)