Rattlesnake Lodge was an early 1900's mountain retreat in the Southern Appalachians, built in 1903 and 1904 for Dr. Chase P. Ambler and his large family, who owned it for nearly twenty years. It was made of hand-hewn chestnut logs, and its furniture was built from timber taken from the property. Mrs. Ambler and the children stayed there through the summer, arriving when school ended and leaving just before it began again in the fall, while Dr. Ambler joined them every weekend and most Wednesdays. The lodge's rooms reflected the family's way of life, with a main floor that included a kitchen with a hot water heater warmed by a woodburning stove, a dining room large enough for the entire family, an indoor bathroom, a living room, and a bedroom. Three large fireplaces shared the same chimney, and porches surrounded most of the house. Frequent visitors were accommodated on the second floor, which included a large guest bedroom with bunk beds, a storage room, and another bedroom, and a footbridge led from that floor to terraced gardens and a tennis court. The Amblers sold the lodge in 1920, and it burned in 1926, probably after a lightning strike. Dr. Ambler later became chairman of a committee that formed the southern chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, predecessor of the Carolina Mountain Club, whose members still maintain the lodge area and Mountains-To-Sea Trail today.