The West Virginia Cottage

The West Virginia Cottage originally served as a bowling alley, which was built under the supervision of Captain William Sale in the early 1890’s. Even after the Mountain House burned down in 1911, the bowling alley continued to be used by the few guests who came to Capon. Second generation member Ted Austin even recalls bowling a few games, in the mid 1930’s, on the old alleys with the few cracked wooden balls and pins that remained. Lou Austin and his wife, Virginia, decided to convert the building into a guest residence and named it the West Virginia Cottage.

After some major renovations in the 1930’s, minor improvements kept the guest accommodations comfortable. The old linoleum flooring was covered with wall-to-wall carpeting in the early 1970’s and the front porch was rebuilt in 1988. Then, during the winter of 1999-2000, the interior of the cottage was almost completely torn down and rebuilt. An addition with bathrooms and closets was constructed along the rear of the building. The renovations allowed each room to be made handicapped-accessible.

The porch was extended along the old billiard room side. Railings, similar to those on other buildings, were added and the roof was extended to cover the full width of the porch! With the new roof, porch sitting at the West Virginia has become even more popular. The Cottage has six bedrooms, each of which can accommodate up to five people, a private bath for each bedroom, and a central living room. Today, it is very popular for family reunions and large group stays.

Guest Reviews

“Our family loves the West Virginia Cottage. We come from various areas and fill up the bedrooms there as well as rooms in other places. The living room and huge covered, wraparound porch are perfect places for us to relax and catch up with each other.” – Gayle H., Bethlehem, PA

“This one sits right where the mountain road meets the Capon grounds, and is secluded and set against the woods. A nice surprise here, if you have a baby in a crib, is the end room. It has a bathroom large enough that you can put the crib inside, to give a little space and quiet for mom and dad.” – Steve G., Washington, DC