"Mid Pleasures and Palaces: The Architecture of Empire at Sweet Springs, WV

The monumental architecture of Sweet Springs, WV, helped to establish the United States as an empire expanding west of the Appalachian Mountains. In building the Great Western hotel, its owner and investors hired architects trained under Thomas Jefferson to attract America's new aristocracy, positioning themselves and their country as civilizers. The elite and affluent could not only retreat there to avoid summertime heat and infirmities, such as malaria or cholera, but also groom themselves to be world leaders.