Mineral Springs

The Bedford Springs Resort is here today because of the Mineral Springs.

Long before it was a resort, local Native American people – specifically the Iroquois, Shawnee, and Tuscarora – believed the springs had healing powers. The springs became a popular destination for all three tribes to congregate. They could smoke peace pipes and soothe their battle injuries at this place they considered sacred. Away from the area, they might dispute territory, but when it came to the springs, they were on neutral ground.

John Anderson’s family were immigrants who were early settlers in Bedford. Young John was fascinated by the mineral springs and their healing powers. The Native American people generously shared with him their knowledge of both the waters and the local plants.

Anderson attended medical school out east. Upon his return he began to acquire the property around the springs, which ultimately totaled over 2,200 acres.

Year round, water comes out of the ground at approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Dr. Anderson had both cold and warm water bath houses constructed, one for gentlemen and one for ladies. Then drawing on his knowledge of medicine and the local springs and plants, and with his passion for helping people, Dr. Anderson brought his clients to the springs for treatment.

There are 8 springs identified here that contain minerals with healing properties, including Magnesia, Iron, and Sulphur. They were said to help with any number of ailments such as arthritis, constipation, and indigestion.

Most of the time, clients drank or soaked in the mineral waters, but there were other less common uses. At the Sulphur Spring, for example, after the water evaporated, a sulphur residue remained on the rocks. This could be scraped off then applied to the skin to treat burns, rashes, and cuts.

A large wooden turnstile was installed at the Limestone Spring not for people, but to keep out large animals who also found the spring to be a comfortable place to relax on a hot summer day! As you can see by the photos around the hotel, the turnstile was a popular location for photo opportunities!

People came primarily from Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, to “take the waters.” Why would they travel so far? Well, consider that cities were crowded, vermin infested, and polluted places. People from cities in the early 1800s didn’t drink water because it wasn’t safe. In Philadelphia, for example, a devastating series of yellow fever epidemics had killed thousands of people before 1800, so the city began to enact sanitary measures.

We now know that water helps flush toxins from the body, but this was a revelation to our 19th-century visitors.

Dr. Anderson’s healing treatment took about 3 weeks. It included both drinking the water and soaking in the mineral springs. Guests would drink a couple of glasses of water before each meal. They were also encouraged to swim, hike, and enjoy other outdoor activities as part of their treatment.

Guests who returned often were able to purchase a lifetime pass to the mineral baths – for $10!  If you couldn’t travel here to the springs, you could have water shipped to you at a cost of $8 per barrel in casks made of mulberry wood which was thought to better preserve the medicinal quality of the water.

Many illustrious people came to take the waters, notably former President Thomas Jefferson, who came in 1819 for his acute rheumatism. He stayed for several weeks and was so impressed with the Bedford Springs that when he returned to Monticello, he is said to have sent a beautiful wooden desk to Dr. Anderson as a sincere thanks for his stay.

Escaping to the clean mountain air with its promise of healing was very enticing, especially for the well-to-do. They were the ones who could afford to stay for the extended period of time required. Early on, they came for the healing waters. Later the hotel evolved into a resort where people could escape the heat of the summer to enjoy the social scene in the relative cool of the mountains.

Please continue your tour.