The hotel opened on June 1, 1887 as a luxury health resort. It was built by the North Alabama Improvement Company with funding from Michael and James O'Shaughnessy. The hotel closed in 1900 and was demolished in 1944.
This photo shows a scene at Lily Lake on the grounds of Col. James O'Shaughnessy's home on Monte Sano. According to the Historic Huntsville Quarterly, the structure in the foreground of the photo is a "four-tiered vertical framework covered with ivy, and reaching an impressive height of twelve feet or so."
This map was drawn by William W. Varnedoe, Jr. and published by the Monte Sano Civic Association. It shows Monte Sano's neighborhoods, the state park, and the mountain's natural features, including springs and caves. The map also notes changes in elevation.
