Back to West Virginia to visit Capon Springs! Henry Frye discovered the mineral springs of Hampshire County in the late 1760s, and by 1787, there was enough interest in the area that 20 acres of land was named as the town of Watson.
Health resorts
Silurian Spring
Waukesha, located in Wisconsin, was once home to Silurian Spring, and was competition for the neighboring Bethesda Spring. The land was surveyed and purchased in 1868, and was named after the prehistoric sea that once covered the area. David Jackson, a postmaster, soon fell in love with the springs and built a log cabin on the land. In 1874, he began promoting the springs to visitors.
Berkeley Springs
Berkeley Springs is located in West Virginia, and before European settlement was used by the native people of St. Lawrence Seaway, Canada. Later, settlers took to the springs because of its warm, healing properties as early as 1730.
St. Clair Mineral Springs
This month we are visiting St. Clair County Michigan, home of the St. Clair Mineral Springs Company. St. Clair was a popular resort town with two luxurious hotels. The Oakland Hotel, built in 1881, and Somerville Hotel, built in 1888, had a combined 119 rooms that housed visitors.
Crockett Warm Springs
This month we are back to Virginia to visit Crockett Springs Cottage in Montgomery County! The Crockett Warm Springs was part of the larger Lithia Springs Company and was also known as the Virginia Arsenic Bromide Company.
Summit Springs Hotel
Summit Springs Hotel was located in Poland, Maine. Amos Knight began the resort in 1900 and catered to the Jewish community, who were not welcomed at the local Poland Spring Hotel, which was located across the lake. The hotel began as the White Oak Spring Hotel, and was later renamed in 1905.
Poland Spring
This month we are visiting the home of the popular bottled water, Poland Spring Water, located in Poland, Maine! Poland Spring Resort began in 1797 as the Wentworth Ricker Inn for travelers moving through the area. Hiram Ricker claimed the spring water cured him of dyspepsia (indigestion) in 1844. The family began selling it commercially in 1859. Ricker also began marketing the resort as a country getaway filled with recreational activities.