Blue Ridge Shores, Virginia

Blue Ridge Shores is a census-designated place in Louisa County, Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 813.[1] It was built beginning in 1960 as a resort community around a man-made lake, Lake Louisa.

Blue Ridge Shores
CDP
Blue Ridge Shores
Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates: 38°6′30″N 78°1′15″W
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyLouisa
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
23093
FIPS code51-08264
GNIS feature ID2630622

History

The land encompassing Blue Ridge Shores (BRS) was originally part of the estate of Thomas Ellis, whose vast holdings by 1800 included a mill, cobbler's shop, wheelwright, blacksmith shop, general store, and boasted an efficient stage coach line to such destinations as Orange Springs and the University of Virginia.

The idea of creating a recreational and retirement development originated with Dr. I.E. Byrd, an educator from Washington, D.C. He bought over 700 acres of land and planned an elaborate complex consisting of a hotel, golf course, shopping and dining facilities and well as an area for vacationers. His dreams were larger than his funds, however, he was forced to abandon the project. He sold the property by 1958 to the American Realty Corporation and within a year Blue Ridge Shores, Inc. (not to be confused with Blue Ridge Shores Property Owners Association) was formed. By 1960 the first dam was built filling the lake, an office and a few cottages were built, and than advertising campaign started. In April 1960 the present Blue Ridge Property Owners Association (BRPOA) was established with a three-person Board of Directors, the first act in the long process of disassociation from the realty company and becoming an independent community. By 1963 control of the development was turned over to the new association by American Realty. Many problems faced the fledgling community as they established a dues structure, repaired existing buildings and docks, and staffed administration and management positions.

August 1969 brought hurricane Camille that nearly destroyed the development. Eleven inches of rain fell in a twelve-hour period. The dam collapsed draining the lake. The Board of Directors immediately took steps to rebuild the dam, set up a fund to finance the project, and reassure residents about the future of the development. The new dam was completed and dedicated on Memorial Day, 1970.

Two years later, Hurricane Agnes severely damaged the spillway. The lake was lowered and repairs were made. When another storm hit in October 1972, more damages were done but the reinforced spillway saved the lake.

In the succeeding years, the community has experienced additional severe storms. In June 1995, flooding caused extensive damage to the office complex, marina, community center, bridge, and water system pipeline. BRS volunteers and private contractors repaired the damages.[2]

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References
  1. Virginia Trend Report 2: State and Complete Places (Sub-state 2010 Census Data). Archived 2012-07-11 at Archive.today Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed 2011-06-08.
  2. http://www.blueridgeshores.com



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