MOUNT JACKSON, Va. (WHSV) – A 94-year-old Mount Jackson man is trying to raise awareness of a decaying historic building just outside of town.
John Good has lived in Shenandoah County his entire life and is now hoping for help in restoring the old Mount Jackson Toll House.
“I would love to restore it to its original state, that’s a lot of history,” Good said. “I know it’s in bad shape… So it might not be worth fixing, but I would love to see it.”
Good lives just a few miles from the tollhouse. The dilapidated building sits just off Route 11 next to the bridge that leads into town. The building holds a special place in Good’s heart because of its history and the work his grandfather did in the area.
“It used to be a toll house,” Good said. “You had to pay tolls on (Route) 11, but I don’t know what year they introduced tolls on 11. My grandfather maintained the road from the municipal roadhouse to the bridge.”
According to the Mount Jackson Museum, Route 11 was formerly a toll road. A man named William Burket was the last tollman at the toll booth. According to the Shenandoah County Historical Society, all toll booths on Route 11 were closed on September 1, 1918. Good said his grandfather died in 1930.
The Mount Jackson Museum said the Customs House was used as a private residence for many years after its closure, but no one had lived there since the 1980s.
“I’ve never been inside, but I’ve been there many times,” Good said. “A guy who used to live there and I used to hunt raccoons together, so I took him with me, but I was never in the house.”
Good said he tried many years ago to get the city of Mount Jackson to restore the building. However, it is private property and so far Good has not been able to contact the owner. Still, he hopes Shenandoah County residents will help save the historic site.
“I think if it were restored, it would be a great part of history for Shenandoah County,” Good said. “I think people could donate money or time, but I’m too old, I can’t do anything.”
Good said if the old customs house cannot be saved, at least a sign should be put up to mark its location and inform people of its history.
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