Yes, the quaint, quiet Chesterfield neighborhood was quite the summer retreat back in the day. In the 1880s, to escape the sweltering heat many of the city’s most prestigious residents would spend the summer at the hotel. They’d catch the Richmond and Danville Railroad passenger train for the short ride to Bon Air, which by the late 1800s boasted three railroad stops all within about a mile of each other. The primary railroad stop was right across from a picnic pavilion, which was opened about a year or so before the hotel’s opening.

I learned much of the community’s fascinating history during a recent conversation with Elizabeth Richardson, the historian for the Bon Air Historical Society. Mrs. Richardson helped to form the society and was its first president in 1978. She also co-authored the book “Bon Air – A History.”

(Picture Description:  An engraving of the Bon Air Hotel. The hotel was destroyed by fire in  1889. Its annex remains and is, today, the Bon Air Hotel Apartments.)

That history is, indeed, fascinating. Just what made Bon Air the perfect vacation destination? “The higher elevation caught the cool breezes,” Mrs. Richardson says. Additionally, while the city’s wastewater treatment system had just been completed in the late 1870s, sanitary conditions in Richmond were still less than ideal.

The presence of the railroad was an added bonus. Many of the city’s more prestigious businessmen who were summering with their families at the hotel, could hop on the train each day and head to work in the city.

The hotel offered its guests such amenities as croquet, jousting, and billiards. A saloon and bowling alley, located nearby, offered guests other activities, as well.

You’ve heard the old saying (often in reference to New York City), “It’s a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there.” Well, that wasn’t true of Bon Air. In 1877, the Bon Air Land and Improvement Company began to develop the community as an idyllic year-round residential retreat. The increasing popularity of the “horseless carriage” which had made its debut at Chicago’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, helped to enhance the appeal of Bon Air.

Despite the advent of the automobile, the railroad continued to be an attractive means of transportation to and from Bon Air. The original train station, which had been built in 1882 was replaced with a more modern one in 1917. That depot continued to serve the community until passenger rail service through Bon Air was discontinued in 1957. 

(Picture Description: The original 1882 train station)

One of the first residents of Bon Air was Dr. Hunter McGuire. McGuire who is credited as being instrumental in the founding of the Medical College of Virginia, maintained a cottage in Bon Air. As a physician, he shared the opinion of many of his neighbors that a summer in Bon Air was good for one’s health. 

Mrs. Richardson says that both Joseph Bryan , founder of the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper, and famed photographer George Cook were early residents of the community. Cook, who was primarily a studio photographer, is credited with capturing the first-ever combat photos when he photographed an image of Union ironclads firing on Fort Sumter. 

The Bon Air historian also mentions another local resident – Polk Miller. It’s a name with which I was not familiar. To say that Polk Miller’s claim to fame was that he was the founder of Sergeant’s Dog Care Products doesn’t even begin to tell his amazing story. Bon Air had an impressive list of visitors and residents in its early years, and perhaps none so entertaining as was Polk Miller. But that’s a story we will have to save for another time. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, If you’d like to relive those golden days of yore, then mark your calendar for Saturday, May 11. That’s the date for the Bon Air Historical Society’s Victorian Affair in Old Bon Air festival. The affair kicks off at 11 a.m. with a parade down Buford Road from the Bon Air Baptist Church to the Bon Air Christian Church, where a festival will follow, featuring crafts, food, entertainment, children’s games, historical displays, and a silent auction. 

To learn more about the festival and the Bon Air Historical Society, visit their website at BonAirHistoricalSociety.org.

(Picture Description: 1882 map of Bon Air with an overlay featuring the location of early structures.)