Preserving history isn’t new to Chesterfield County, but on Thursday, Feb. 14, a unique piece of the county’s roadside past was protected when a small cottage was moved from the Moore’s Lake area on Jefferson Davis Highway to Falling Creek Ironworks Park.
One of approximately 40 cottages built at the Moore’s Lake retreat in 1929, the cottage serves as a reminder of a bygone time when Route 1 was the main highway from Maine to Florida and travelers from far and wide stopped at the popular vacation spot. Cottages were scattered across the retreat property, which featured a lake with a sandy beach, water slides, a dance hall and eventually a restaurant.
Moore’s Lake thrived until the construction of Interstate I-95 took traffic away from the Jefferson Davis corridor, and the retreat later went out of business after larger hotels and motels were built along the highway to serve travelers.
