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.
The springs contain large amounts of magnesium, lithium, and sodium. With temperatures averaging 69 degrees, Crockett Springs made for a comfortable stay during the chillier months. The springs were said to cure various ailments including eczema, rheumatism, dyspepsia, and insomnia. W.T. Hall of Lynchburg stated: “Mrs. Hall had a severe attack of La Grippe, which left her a great sufferer from sleeplessness and severe nervous headaches. She began the use of the Virginia Arsenic, Bromine and Lithia Water, and was speedily relieved entirely.”
One of the attractions of the springs was the cottage. Built in 1889, the one-story, two-room home served as a meeting place for those taking advantage of the springs. It is one of the few surviving structures of the springs and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The company went out of business in 1939. Today, the cottage structure is part of a religious compound.
Sources:
“Crockett Springs Cottage.” Virginia Department of Historic Resources. 2019. Website. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/060-0487/
Crockett Warm Springs. (Medical Trade Ephemera Collection) Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
“National Register Information System.” National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.