Institution

The first mention of Lithia Springs was in the Waukesha Freeman on October 1, 1891 in an article letting residents know that what once was Hickory Grove tract, was now being developed as Lithia Springs. Lithia Springs was located just south of the railroad crossing between Hartwell Ave. and Rosemary St. at the bottom of the hill where the Resthaven Hotel (Ethos 360 today) was eventually located. It was in the midst of a grove of large native oaks and hickories neat the foot of the hill.

After selling Arcadian Springs in 1891, James K. Anderson turned his attention to the development of Lithia Spring. The name, Lithia, comes from an analysis of the time that determined that the presence of Lithia in the water was considered to be at medicinal levels, thus able to help with ailments.

Lithia Spring

Following along Hartwell Avenue, this tour explores 10 of the spring sites on the east side of the city.  James K. Anderson, well known in the springs era, was involved with Silurian, Arcadian and Lithia Springs.  

Waukesha Springs Tour: Silurian to Arcadian

From 1868 - 1914 Waukesha was renown for its naturally occurring mineral springs. Across the United States and Europe, water treatment or hydropathy had gained a significant following as an alternative medicine. Both cool and hot water mineral springs were improved in cities and towns across the country, building a new wellness tourism industry. Waukesha became a destination during the summer season, with southerners particularly attracted to the milder northern climate. 

In Waukesha a shallow aquifer fed the springs, providing a cool crisp mineral water noted for its effervescence (bubbly) quality when fresh. Dozens of companies bought property, some with naturally occurring springs, and others simply digging wells. From simple pavilion structures, dozens of sites were improved across the city. By the turn of the century large hotels and resorts attracted thousands of tourists annually. Spring sites featured bath houses, spas, walking paths and greens space for their clientele. They also sponsored grand balls, outdoor concerts, and parades. The city was transformed each summer with thousands of visitors arriving via train and carriage. 

Note- this tour was created by a local historian in 2022. After a few locals reached out asking why there were so many unfinished draft entries around the city, the historian who created Clio spent part of a Sunday afternoon placing those entries into this tour.
 

Waukesha Springs Tour

One of the longest surviving springs sites in the city, White Rock spring was located along the northern turn of the Fox River in Waukesha, just beyond the northern most end of Frame Park.Hiram Colver, a Waukesha lawyer, purchased the property in 1873 and began advertising the spring that year. In 1874, he built a pavilion over the spring site to protect the water from contaminants. This structure was destroyed by a tornado in 1876, but quickly replaced with a more elaborate spring house. Colver continued to improve the grounds around the spring, though left much of it in a natural state. Starting in 1879, a steamboat named the White Rock Steamer ran along the Fox River taking passengers from the downtown area up to the park in which the spring was located.In 1882, the business was purchased by Chicago Druggists Edwin O. Gale and William F. Blocki. They built a new bottling plant in 1883 to capitalize on growth through national distribution. The plant was placed along the existing railroad line. A bridge was constructed over the Fox River near the plant and new carriage drives were laid, making it easier to reach the park.Gale and Blocki sold part of their spring to Gales brother-in-law Charles E. Welch, in 1887. Welch built a beautiful home adjacent to the bottling plant, and moved his exuberant family to Waukesha. He increased production, and adding onto the bottling facilities in 1900. It was under his ownership that the company also acquired it's most recognizable attribute: the Psyche trademark. The company acquired right to Paul Thurman's painting of "Psyche at Nature's Mirror" at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The words "White Rock" were added to the rock upon which the winged-nymph knelt. Soon the sales of White Rock Water took off. Another innovation for which Welch was responsible for was the carbonation of the water and advertising it as a table water rather than a medical water. Sales of the water grew tremendously and in May 1906 Welch sold the company for $1,300,000.The National Water Company, a division of Wilson Whisky Distilling Company of Baltimore, ran the company for the next few years. Because of its extensive distribution system, White Rock was available worldwide and received numerous awards and honors from international expositions. In 1909, another addition was made to the bottling plant. This addition was remarkable and unique; built using reinforced concrete and modeled after an Egyptian temple. The Wilson Distributing Company ended its lease with White Rock in 1913, and the company was strong enough to stand on its own and eventually was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.White Rock in the 20th century capitalized on print advertising campaigns, with campaign runs in numerous magazines including Harper's Weekly and LIFE. There was also a large electric advertising sign in Times Square in New York City as early as 1911. White Rock Waukesha water was famously served at the coronation of King Edward VII, and President William McKinley's 1897 Inauguration luncheon. Charles Lindbergh even drank White Rock water before his famous Spirit of St. Louis flight. Although Psyche was a fixture of their campaigns, White Rock is also notable for using a modern image of Santa Claus before Coca Cola did.Business continued to flourish in the 1920s and 30s. During the following decades, business held steady with the competition of franchised drinks. In the 1950's, however, White Rock's share of the market declined. An attempt at franchising met with mixed results. In 1970, the company ceased operations in Waukesha. The White Rock Corporation continues however, today based in White Plains, New York. As of 2021, the company celebrates its 150th anniversary.The Waukesha buildings remained intact for the next 20 years, although they were poorly maintained. In 1993, they were nominated as local landmarks by the Landmarks Commission. The owners of the complex petitioned for demolition of the 1909 addition to the plant, and after a series of public hearings the Common Council overrode the decision of the Landmarks Commission and allowed the demolition to take place.In 1996, the owners asked for the rescission of the local landmark designation, and this was denied. They then applied for a demolition permit for each of the remaining structures. The designation was eventually removed and the badly deteriorated spring house and buildings were demolished.

White Rock Spring Company became Waukesha's most famous and well known spring, and is the only active brand that survives to the present day.Founded in 1871, White Rock employed agressive print advertising campaigns, becoming a major national and global brand in the 20th century. The trademark image "Psyche at Nature's Mirror" became one of the most recognizable trademarks in the world.In 1970, White Rock moved all of its operations from Waukesha to New York, where the company and brand still lives on today. The owners of the remaining White Rock buildings in Waukesha did not maintain the site, and had it demolished in 1996.

White Rock Spring

Not too much is known about the early history of Hobo spring, but it first appears on maps in 1891. The spring was named for the hobos who would congregate at it after hitching rides off the nearby Soo railway line. Hobo spring was often overlooked even during the resort era of Waukesha in the late 19th century. It never had an ornate springhouse to protect the waters, like most of Waukesha's springs at the time did. On top of this, it was located nearby to two larger and more successful springs, Orchard and White Rock. Also unlike many of Waukesha's springs, Hobo spring was never commercialized, and its waters never bottled for sale. All this leads to a bit of mystery surrounding the origins of this spring. In an interview with Waukesha photographer Warren O'Brien in the February 9, 1968 Waukesha Freeman newspaper, it was revealed that the Hobo spring once belonged to his grandfather, James O'Brien, and then sold to the Waukesha White Rock Spring Company in about 1885.The City of Waukesha bought Frame park in 1927/1928. In acquiring the park they also acquired Hobo spring. The spring remained part of the park, but was neglected and fell into a state of disrepair. The water from the spring was tested in 1974 and found to be contaminated and unsafe for drinking. The outlet of the spring was walled in in the 70s, and the entire spring became flooded and filled with weeds. A restoration was planned in 1994, and work on restoring the spring started in 1997. A team of volunteers under the supervision of former Landmarks Commission Chairman Debi Hankel put lots of hard work into restoring the spring, having to dismantle and reconstruct the entire wall around the spring, removing weeds and mud from the spring's basin, putting the large stone steps back into place, and rebuilding the wading pool.The type of stone used to originally construct the spring is very rare, and only found within a 45 mile radius of Waukesha. This type of stone had not been available for over 50 years, but it just so happened that during the time of Hobo Spring's restoration, the local Halquist stone company was given the chance to mine a batch of it. The restoration would not have been possible if it wasn't for this, and Halquist stone donated all the stone needed in the restoration.A dedication ceremony was held in the autumn of 1997. The ribbon was cut by Mayor Carol Opel. Hobo spring remains a key landmark in Waukesha. A stark reminder of a time when Waukesha was known world wide for its spring water. Today anyone can go visit Hobo Spring and feel for themselves the crystal clear cold water that once made Waukesha famous.

Hobo Spring, located in present day Frame Park, is one of two springs that were located here. The other spring, Asahel, was located where the Frame Formal Gardens currently are. Hobo Spring was most likely improved and walled in between 1880 and 1892. The spring was never commercialized like many of Waukesha's other springs and was often used by the hobos who came off the Soo Railroad line nearby, hence the name. The spring was not well maintained and was often unnoticed. By 1990 the spring was in very poor shape. It was restored in July of 1997 with efforts from the Waukesha 1834 club, The City of Waukesha Landmarks Commission, Halquist stone, and several other community and private organizations.

Hobo Spring 

The land that Hickory Grove Brewery was located on was on Main Street, east of Hartwell. This land was initially owned by Morris D. Cutler, a Waukesha pioneer, and was sold to Leonard Uhl and Christopher Kriener in October of 1867. Uhl sold his portion of the brewery to John Leonard Pappenheimer in 1871. Poppenheimer &amp; Kreiner, Brewers is a listing in the 1873 Wisconsin Business Directory. Kriener sold to John J. Plate in April of 1873, but not long after the property was sold by the sheriff to John Gredler in 1875.Gredler improved the property for summer nights festivals, which included a dance floor and a restaurant. The only mention of Hickory Grove Springs was in a newspaper clipping in the Waukesha Freeman where Gredler published a water analysis and summarized that the combination of minerals contained in the water in Hickory Grove Spring "was the same as the best springs in Waukesha".The name Hickory Grove continued when James K. Anderson, a well known name in Waukesha Springs, purchased a portion of the property including the residence in 1887. He remodeled it and added 6 acres of gardens and called his project "Hickory Grove Villa".

More commonly known as Hickory Grove, a water analysis attributed to John G. Gredler for water from Hickory Grove Spring in the Waukesha Freeman in August of 1884 is the only mention of the spring found to date. Using an 1872 plat map showing the location of the Hickory Grove Brewery, the general location of the springs is thought to be on Main Street to the east of Hartwell. Residents have speculated on the purpose of a mysterious cave or tunnel found near Fuzzy's bar, reported in the Waukesha Freeman in 2015, and one idea is that it was beer storage for the Hickory Grove Brewery.

Hickory Grove Spring

James K. Anderson was a local magnate in the spring business around Waukesha. After working as the manager of Silurian spring, Anderson opened his own spring in 1884 at the foot of the hill on the corner of Arcadian and Hartwell Avenue, named Arcadian spring. Anderson constructed a handsome springhouse to protect the spring water and a limestone bottling plant as well. In 1885, a small booklet was produced by the company to promote the water. This booklet gave a detailed description of the water and bottling process. The water was carried to the bottling house by its own pressure, drawn by solid block tin pipes from the heart of the spring. The grounds around the spring were illuminated by electric lights as early as 1888. Anderson sold the spring to Henry Phelps in 1891, whose family added to the plant and continually upgraded the equipment. Arcadian water was bottled and used in ginger ale and many other beverages.Phelps sold the spring in 1918 to Albert Trostel of Milwaukee, who owned another Waukesha spring water business, the Roxo Company. Roxo began in 1907 and originally used water from Sotarian spring at the corner of Hartwell Ave. and McCall street. The combined companies operated in separate facilities for a time, but in 1929 an addition was built at the Arcadian plant and all operations moved there. By this time, Arcadian Spring was no longer being used to supply the water for the beverages and spring water. Crystal Rock spring on the North East corner of Waukesha Springs park was supplying the water.  In September of 1938, the Arcadian Springhouse was demolished, and the land was used for other purposes. This did not seem to affect the people of Waukesha, and when reporting on the event, the Waukesha Freeman Newspaper even called it a "relic of bygone days." Roxo continued on, and in 1935 the machinery in the plant was updated. It became one of the largest and most modern bottling plants in the city. Roxo became a successful business in the next few decades and Roxo beverages were bottled at the old Arcadian plant until 1967 when the company was bought out by one of the biggest and longest lasting spring businesses in the city, Bon-Ton / Bethesda. After this, all bottling of Roxo beverages took place at the Bethesda plant. The old Arcadian / Roxo bottling plant sat abandoned and deteriorating for a while, but was eventually converted into apartments. It still stands today across from the gas station on Arcadian Ave.

The Arcadian Mineral spring was opened in 1884 by James K. Anderson. It was located at the corner of Arcadian and Hartwell Ave. at the foot of the hill, where a gas station now stands. Arcadian spring became a popular attraction in Waukesha during the late 19th century when people would travel to Waukesha to partake in its abundant natural mineral springs. Arcadian was eventually bought out by Roxo, another Waukesha spring business. The original Arcadian spring was eventually closed and torn down, but Roxo continued the Arcadian name for a while. Roxo would go on to become one of the longest lasting spring businesses in Waukesha.

Arcadian and Roxo Spring

This spring was located in 1963 when the city of Waukesha built Fire Station #2 at the site of the former reception house for the Arcadian Spring. During construction, a spring was contained in the basement. It is uncertain where the source of the spring is from, but some believe it could be the nearby capped Arcadian Spring. When Fire Station #2 moved, the building was converted and the spring was used as a heating and cooling source for the headquarters of the Waukesha Housing Authority.The winning entry in a 2010 contest to name the spring was given by John Ward. His entry, Downie Spring, was in honor of the fire chief at the time of the construction of the fire station. Emery Downie was chief from 1945-1966.

Named in 2010 after a fire chief, this spring is located on the site of the former Arcadian Spring reception house.

Downie Spring

Located off of Arcadian to the west of the railroad tracks between Hartwell Ave. and Caroline St., Prairieville Spring was built on the property of John McDonald Randles and was sometimes referred to as Randles Spring. This spring was used by local residents, patrons of the Prairieville Hotel, and the neighboring lumberyard. The spring was eventually demolished and La Casa de Esperanza is in that location today.

Prairieville "Randles" Spring

Glenn Rock Mineral Spring was one of the earliest discovered springs, but it was not operated for a number of years. After gaining experience in water works in Minneapolis and Seattle, Col. Michael Glenn made his first visit to Waukesha to cure an ailment in 1884. His ailment was successfully cured, but he and his wife, Katherine, did not return to Waukesha to stay until 1903 when she was seriously ill.Shortly after moving to Waukesha, Glenn invested heavily in real estate becoming the largest property tax payer at one point. Glenn Rock Mineral Spring was one of his purchases, but it started out as a lease from owner J. Mc D Randles in July of 1905. Randals allowed Glenn to construct bottling and shipping buildings on the property and their agreement also allowed him to remove the pipeline conveying water from the spring to Gittner Lumber Company on Arcadian. The following year, Glenn purchased the property from Randles. A few years later, the 1907 Memoirs of Waukesha County talked of Glenn Rock Mineral Spring saying that it employed 8 men and was able to ship one car-load of bottles a week. Water from Glenn Rock Spring was advertised as pure and healthful as well as consisting of qualities that, when mixed with wine and liquor diluted their harmful effects giving the water "effervescent energy" too. His "Still and Carbonized Waters" were patented in 1907.In 1908, Glenn used his prior experience with water works and his experience as chair of the Hennepin County Board and ran for Mayor of Waukesha. He claimed that he had the expertise to refurbish the city's aging water system and he won the election. He was Waukesha's mayor until 1910 and left the city after his tenure. In April of 1910, the spring was leased to Deakin and Kiehl and by 1912 Glenn Rock Mineral Spring was sold to Martin Kroer, a wholesale grocery dealer. From 1912 through it's last listing in 1940, the spring was sold and renamed "Glenn Rock Waukesha Spring Company", Glenn Rock Springs Incorporated", and finally "Glenn Rock Springs Well".In the summer of 1955, the springhouse was torn down and the spring was capped. The location of the spring would have been behind the location of Glenn Rock Motors today.

Located on the west side of Hartwell Avenue near Arcadian Avenue, Glenn Rock Mineral Spring was owned by Mayor Michael Glenn and his wife, Katherine from 1906-1912. Water from the spring was bottled on the property and shipped to locations outside of Waukesha. Today, Glenn Rock Motors is on the site of what once was Glenn Rock Mineral Springs.

Glenn Rock Spring

Crystal Rock Mineral Springs began around 1903 and was incorporated in 1906 and its last entry in the city directory was in 1913. Edward Donahue was the president, L. Donahue the vice-president and P.H. Leininger the superintendent for the duration of Crystal Rock. In the 1903 Evening Wisconsin, the water from Crystal Rock is described as abundant and coming from a depth that insured purity. Its medical ingredients are touted for ailments, especially for urinary and digestive organ disorders. Crystal Rock Spring Co. employed a chemist to direct the manufacturing of drinks of ginger ale, celery tonic, and wild cherry phosphate.

The Crystal Rock Mineral Spring was located north of Silurian Spring Park. The Crystal Rock Company bottled healing waters and other drinks between 1903 and 1913. Today the copper dome covered spring is located under a concrete bunker north of the playground in Waukesha Springs Park. It is unclear where Hartwell Springs was located, but it was mentioned as another spring in the park in a Freeman article from March 19, 1952.

Crystal Rock and Hartwell Spring

Named and owned by David Smeaton, a Waukesha businessman, the name Silurian come from the prehistoric sea that once covered the area. Smeaton owned the spring during the 1870's and steadily developed the spring site to attract the wellness tourists visiting the town each summer. Water from the Silurian spring was first marketed in 1871, however, the spring had been in use long before then.The first advertisements for Silurian appeared in the Waukesha Freeman newspaper in 1874. Early advertisements stressed the medicinal and curative properties of the water, with a 1875 advertisement claimed that the water could cure diabetes, headaches, chills, indigestion, and many more ailments.William A. Haslage of Pennsylvania came to Waukesha and Silurian Spring in 1879 in search of a cure for his diabetes. Impressed, and feeling his health improved, Haslage purchased the spring from Smeaton. Haslage then asked prominent Waukesha magnate James K. Anderson to be his partner in running the spring.Work began immediately in improving the spring and the grounds around it. In late 1879, the spring was dug deeper to allow it to flow more freely. A new spring house was built over the spring to protect the water from contamination. This spring house was the most magnificent in Waukesha at the time it was built. The land around the spring was developed into a beautiful park and buildings on the grounds consisted of a bottling house, office buildings, and a popular bathhouse.The partnership between Haslage and Anderson ended amicably in late 1880, with Haslage handling the business and Anderson working for him as the general agent. One innovation at Silurian during this time was the use of "block-tin pipe" to carry water underground to an indoor area to fill the barrels. Barrels were also lined with paraffin to insure that the water remained pure.By the next year, Haslage's health has declined and he died on December 25, 1881. The spring was then sold to Luther McConnell, of Chicago, in August of 1882. James Anderson continued on as a manager for a few years before his brother William Anderson assumed operations. It was during this decade the spring gained major fame and success. Popular concerts were held in the park, there were fireworks, music, food, drinks, and of course Silurian spring water. In 1885 there was even a roller coaster constructed on the grounds of the park. Large amounts of Silurian water, along with Ginger Ale and carbonated water were bottled from the spring and shipped across the world.In 1891, William Anderson resigned as manager and Lee S. Ovitt took over. By 1893, a huge casino and theatre were built right next to the spring with a stage that was 65 feet wide and the largest in the state. Elaborate plays and shows were put on in this theatre. Reports in 1895 told of Silurian having tennis courts. In 1896, a new machine was introduced in the bottling plant that killed all of the germs, sterilizing the bottles. Silurian sold aerated water, ginger ale, Silurian Vichy (water with vichy salts) and wild cherry phosphate.McConnell sold Silurian to Clinton Warren, a hotel magnate, in 1897. Business slowly began to deteriorate and no new improvements were made to the park. Warren had a rocky tenure in Waukesha and by the turn of the century events at the park were ceased. Warren chose instead to focus more on the bottling business and in 1902 Silurian products were included as natural mineral water, ginger ale, wild cherry, and orange phosphate.McConnell sold out in 1904. From that point on, Silurian slowly declined in stature. Frequent changes of ownership along with declining tourism to Waukesha’s springs in the later 1910s contributed to the park’s deterioration. In the 1920s, the original Silurian spring house was demolished, and a new fully enclosed polygonal concrete block structure was completed in 1927.The business lasted into the 1930s, and products were bottled under the name “Silver King.” Tile murals on the outside of the spring house depict Silver King products.The spring house has been restored several times and is usually open to the public a few times a year.In 1984, a replica of the original Silurian spring house was constructed in downtown Waukesha. This replica has been moved along the Fox River Walk, near the present site of Waukesha State Bank.

Water from the Silurian spring was marketed as a "health water" for the first time in 1871, making it one of the oldest spring water sites in the city. The park around the spring was beautifully landscaped, with walking paths for visitors. Other amenities at the Silurian Spring park included a bath house, bottling plant, casino, and theatre. After falling into disrepair, the original 1880's springhouse was torn down and replaced in 1927 with a cement enclosed structure, still on the site today. A replica of the 1880's Silurian Springhouse was built and is located along the Fox River Trail, on Bank Street.

Silurian Spring

Salesman Harry Dreyer and his wife, Minnie (Burrows) Dreyer purchased property at the corner of Hartwell Avenue and Fulton Street in Waukesha and built a home there in 1887. Their home burned down a year later. In the process of rebuilding, a spring was found on their property.The spring, named Sotarian Spring, was described as sitting 100 feet above the Fox River. Unlike other Waukesha springs that were within large parks, the Sotarian Spring was was located near the corner of the Dreyer lawn, surrounded by an iron fence. The spring was within a circular pit that was surrounded by a heart shaped basin. Sotarian Spring was considered to be the highest spring in Waukesha as well as one of the purist, because of its high location free from surface drainage and sewer contamination. At the time, it was claimed to relieve maladies such as liver and kidney complaints, dyspepsia, Bright's disease, and diabetes and urinal complaints.In an advertisement for the spring in the Polk's State Gazetteer in 1888-89, F. A. Merrill is listed as the proprietor of the spring. Merrill, a popular citizen and President of the Village of Waukesha at the time, was said to have been impressed by the large flow of water and it's clean bed. He tested the water and concluded that it should be placed on the market. To ensure the waters purity, it was shipped in lined barrel's to prevent the possible taste of wood.In a short article in the Waukesha Freeman in 1907, it stated that pipes were laid along Hartwell avenue to Arcadian and then over to a bottling house near the railroad tracks. This is believed to have been the original location of the Crystal Rock Spring Company, which was later used by Roxo making Sotarian Spring the first spring that the Roxo Company used.By 1967, the home the Deyer's had build was torn down and replaced with apartments. The Sotarian Spring survived this demolition and building and in 1998 was deeded to the City of Waukesha.

Sotarian Spring was described as flowing from the highest ground and at the highest point of any of the Waukesha springs. It was discovered on the property of Harry and Minnie (Burrows) Dreyer at the corner of Hartwell Avenue and Fulton Street. The purity of the Sotarian Spring water, free from surface drainage and sewer contamination, and its healing powers were touted.

Sotarian Spring

Known for providing the stone for Waukesha buildings and springs, in 1884 the quarrying company Hadfield and Co. purchased the Nelson Burrough property. They immediately began developing both the spring that was located on the property and the land around it into a park. A deer farm that opened near the spring in May of 1887 became an attraction for people, especially when a fawn was sighted.Seventeen years after being built, Hadfield and Co. platted the area into 15 lots and renamed the development Park Addition. All lots were eventually built upon, and the spring and park were no more.

Within the boarder of Fulton St., Hartwell Ave., Lake Street and what was State St. but is Lincoln Ave. today, Mineral Spring Block was developed into a springs park in 1884. The park was around for about 17 years and included a deer farm near the spring.

Mineral Spring Block

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For many years the exact location of Buchner Spring was misunderstood. It wasn't until November of 2019 that a City of Waukesha Engineer dug out and shared very old maps showing the actual location as well as Blueprints of a proposal for the park's design. There are no known pictures of this spring house but believed to be a basic structure of no noteworthy significance. Possibly just a shed with a water spigot out the back side. It is the hope of the Waukesha Landmarks adhoc Springs Committee that this newly discovered location be sited with signage and possibly a lannon stone circular flower bed.

Buchner Spring

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The exact location of this spring is unknown but was located on the extensive grounds of the Waukesha Springs Sanitarium. The spring was located in an octagonal structure constructed of concrete. It was pictured in advertising booklets for the sanitarium and on post cards. From the postcard image, it appears that the spring house was not very far from a curved road. From the 1941 and 1963 GIS Aerial pictures, this marked spot was decided.

Caples Spring

The water from Avoca Spring was commercialized most during the 1870s, however large quantities of water were never shipped from the spring compared to larger spring companies in the area at the time. Rev. Dr. E. Purdon Wright and Mrs. Wright came to Waukesha in 1872, as the word of Waukesha's healing spring water was just becoming more well known. They came to Waukesha in search of a cure for Mrs. Wright's diabetes, hoping to have the same luck as others and be cured by drinking the spring water. They bought a home on the site of what is now the Student Union of Carroll University. On this property, in May of 1875, they dug a well for household use. They struck an abundance of water flowing through the layers of rock below, and commercialized upon it. More accurately, this so-called spring was more of an artisan well, as the water was not naturally breaking the surface through underground pressure, but was instead dug to the source. Nevertheless, it was referred to as a spring in advertising. They claimed the water from the spring was a specific cure for diabetes and kidney diseases, and also stated that bathing in the mineral water would be beneficial.A sample of water from Avoca Spring was sent to Milwaukee Chemist Gustave Bode in the summer of 1875 shortly after its discovery. Gustave Bode also conducted tests on several other Waukesha springs such as Henk Spring. The water from Avoca proved to be relatively the same in mineral composition and purity as other notable springs in Waukesha, being most similar to Silurian Spring in terms of total dissolved solids2.Dr. Wright put his home and the spring up for sale in 1876, but did not leave Waukesha. Avoca Spring was never advertised on the same level as many of the other springs in the town, and eventually faded out of existence. Mrs. Wright ended up living to 102 years old, seemingly cured of her diabetes by the Waukesha water.

During the Springs Era in Waukesha, in which the town was known nationally and worldwide for its healing spring water, it almost seemed as if there was a mineral spring in everyone's backyard. Of course, this is an exaggeration, but with over 60 mineral springs, having a spring in the backyard was a reality for many people. An example of one of these springs would be the Avoca Mineral spring. This spring was discovered a well was dug for the home of Rev. Dr. E. Purdon Wright. Although the spring was actually an artisan well, as it was dug and not naturally occurring, it was still referred to as a spring, and marketed as such. The home was built on what is the present site of that is now the Carroll University Student Union1.

Avoca Spring

Mrs. Kate Hill of Natchez, Mississippi, widowed weeks after her marriage, visited Waukesha as a summer tourist to the springs and resorts of the area. Impressed by the town, and the opportunity for inveestment, she purchased the Clysmic Spring property in 1879 from Samuel W. Warner and Alice E. Showerman. The year prior, Warner and Showerman had entered a lease agreement with Judge John L. Lockwood of New York to give him exclusive rights to operation of spring, which he named Clysmic meaning cleansing. Upon the purchase of the spring, Hill took over the operating lease agreement with Lockwood giving him exclusive rights to the spring for 20 years.  Improvements to the spring were made in the 1880's. A pavilion or spring house was built atop the spring to protect the water from outside contaminants such as leaves or rain. Lockwood had the water from the Clysmic spring shipped to New York via tank car and bottled there, where it was sold in high end hotels and restaurants. In his agreement with Hill, he paid her per barrel of water shipped to New York. By 1887, Clysmic’s popularity had grown on the east coast, but Mrs. Hill noticed a reduction in the amount of royalties she was being paid. Mrs. Hill investigated this discrepancy and uncovered evidence that Lockwood had purchased a nearby property and dug his own "spring," claimed that it was the true "source" of Clysmic, and started selling the water under that name in 1884. A court battle ensued. Armed with evidence of the number of barrels of water shipped to New York, Mrs. Hill prevailed in both rights to the brand name and money due for the water collected from the nearby “spring” and sold under the Clysmic brand. The ruling did not cancel the 1879 lease contract allowing Lockwood to operate and sell water from the original site. The court felt that Lockwood could use the Clysmic name if he bottled water from that spring, but if he bottled water from his own spring he was instructed to use a different name.  It is unclear what type of relationship Hill and Lockwood had after the lawsuit was settled. It seems like different names were used for both Lockwood’s Clysmic spring and a third spring nearby. In 1905, Lockwood sold his property including his spring he named Kaludor Spring to Mrs. Hill, who had remarried and was Mrs. Van Rensellaer. In September 1906, Mrs. Van Rensallaer ended her 28 year ownership of Clysmic Springs by selling her property to New York capitalists Earl A Carley and J. H. Ahren. In January of 1907, she passed away.The new owners began bottling the water in Waukesha at the spring installing modern bottling equipment, and introduced a unique green bowling pin shaped bottle for the brand. A new trademark featured a nubile woman sitting next to an elk, dipping her feet in a clear pool of water. An renewed advertising campaign dubbed Clysmic "The King of Table Waters," as advertised in magazine ads, tip trays, signs, bar wares, and novelties like decks of cards.A setback occurred in 1915 when a fire swept through the bottling plant causing $10,000 in damages. Though the company wanted to expand and continue on after the fire, on October 30th, 1919 articles of dissolution were filed at the Waukesha County Courthouse. The larger White Rock Spring Company, also of Waukesha, bought the rights to the brand, and site after the dissolution. All bottling of water at the original Clysmic Spring ceased. White Rock continued the brand briefly in1920's, but eventually allowed the brand to fall off production.

Clysmic Spring was owned by Mrs. Kate Hill of Natchez, Mississippi and leased to Judge John L. Lockwood of New York in 1879. Named Clysmic, which means cleansing, the spring was located at the northwest corner of Grand and College Avenues. After a court battle over the contract and ownership of the name “Clysmic,” Mrs. Hill sold the spring in 1906. The new owners saw renewed success for the company, advertising Clysmic Spring as the “King of Table Waters” bottling in a distinctive green glass bowling pin shapped bottle. Unfortunately, a fire swept through the bottling plant in 1915 and by 1920 Clysmic water was no longer being sold.

Clysmic Spring

The Imperial Spring was originally located on the corner of Grand Avenue and Carroll Street. A small bottling plant was situated on this lot. Later, this business was associated with the Imperial Spring Brewing Company, which became the Fox Head Brewery. The Spring house was in the shape of a huge bottle, and located in front of the brewery on the corner of Grand Avenue and Williams street.Fox Head Spring was located in the basement of the bottling plant at the brewery on Maple and Grand Avenue. It is still there hidden beneath a trap door in the cellar of the remnant of the old Fox Head Brewery Building. This spring is actually a well which was used to supplement the supply of water for the brewery operations.

Even though they are unique land formations, springs seemed to have a way of moving locations during the Historic Springs Era. Over the years many springs came and went (as seen on historic maps) that were within a few blocks of this area. These include: Clysmic, Kalador, Vitaqua, Eureka, Sherburn, Mineral Rock and Vesta Springs.

Fox Head/Imperial Spring 

Known as Bethesda park today, this site is home to the Bethesda Spring that reshaped the economic and social landscape of Waukesha in the second half of the 19th century. One of many naturally occurring mineral springs throughout the city, it was developed and marketed by Col. Richard Dunbar and his wife, Catherine. It was marketed as a water based alternative medicine—or hydropathy—offering customers “healthful benefits” by drinking the mineral water. Dunbar first visited the spring while touring a horse pasture owned by his sister-in-law Elizabeth Carney Clark(e). By 1868, Dunbar had purchased the property and launched the Bethesda Spring Water company. This began what today is known as the Springs Era, transforming the village of Waukesha into a world-renowned resort city.Bethesda Spring was the first spring water company in the city to market nationally, for both tourists to visit the property and for retail sales of bottled spring water. After Dunbar's commercialization of the spring in 1868 and subsequent promotion of the spring, the business grew phenomenally. Those who visited Bethesda spring brought bottles and buckets to carry the healing water. By 1870, water was shipped in barrels within the United States and internationally. The local newspaper, the Waukesha Freeman, mentioned ceramic demijohns (jug, or carboy) and bottles of water shipping from the Bethesda Spring Water company in late 1871.On the property, Dunbar developed the land surrounding his spring into a park, planting hundreds of trees, and creating walking paths for patrons to enjoy. Above the spring, eight columns supported the spring house. Inside the spring house, statues of two angels hung by wire over the pool and became the symbol of Bethesda. A hotel project was planned, with a cornerstone ceremony on September 2, 1870 attended by then Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, Salmon P Chase. Unfortunately, the proposed hotel was never completed.According to the Freeman, a noteworthy visit to the Bethesda Spring came in June of 1872, when the widow Mrs. Abraham Lincoln came to Waukesha some years after the death of the president and was reported to have visited the spring. Business continued to go well and each year there were improvements to the spring and grounds. In 1874, five latticework pavilions were laid around the Bethesda pool with a spring in each pavilion. This was supposed to recreate the Judean Bethesda as described in the Bible. For the 1876 Centennial of the founding of the United States, Bethesda water was used to celebrate the event in Philadelphia and the spring house and grounds were looking their best.The Dunbar's had various legal situations to deal with as owners of the Bethesda Spring. One notable lawsuit began later in 1876, when J. K. Glenn claimed that his spring was the source of the Bethesda spring and began promoting his water as Glenn-Bethesda water. In the end, Dunbar lost the lawsuit and the word Bethesda could not be copyrighted. This did not damper business, and barrels of Bethesda continued to ship throughout the world while the Bethesda spring and grounds in Waukesha were a destination for visitors.Ten years after purchasing the spring, Colonel Dunbar died of heart failure on December 15, 1878. The city mourned the passing of a great man. Catherine, his wife, managed the spring for several years, but sold the property in 1881. The ensuing years were ones of stagnation. A group of businessmen ran the spring and though the spring continued to attract visitors, it ran into stiff competition as other spring sites developed throughout the city.In 1885, the board of directors hired Alfred "Long" Jones to manage Bethesda Spring. Jones was a former Illinois senator and a popular figure. Called "Long" because of his 6'3" height, he greeted his visitors and saw to their every comfort. He also began charging people to visit the spring, a controversial move that was met with much opposition. Jones purchased stock in the corporation and was elected chairman in 1888. He oversaw many improvements to the park. Business grew tremendously and in 1889 it was recorded that 5,000 quarts of water were bottled daily.As Jones focused on the social aspects of the spring, more improvements were made in the 1890s. Jones constructed a large hotel, the Terrace, on Dunbar Avenue opposite the entrance gate. In 1892, a spectacular Bethesda pavilion was built with two levels of marble floor for the spring and the visitors. Some of the features of the pavilion were prisms of colored class arranged so that the colors of the rainbow merged on the pool of water and electric lights lighting the structure at night. The Fox River was also dredged to make a better location for boaters.Jones' son, Alfred Wirt Jones, replaced his father as manager in 1896. He continued what is father had started and business continued to grow. By 1906, Bethesda shipped 300,000 gallons of water annually.During the 1920s, the business was reorganized and continued successfully. In 1934, however, felled by the Depression, Bethesda went into receivership. A trio of Chicago investors, Morris Cohn, Herman Glick, and George Brenner purchased the company and moved the Chicago "Bon Ton" business to Waukesha.Bethesda products continued to be bottled by the Bon Ton Company through the 1970s. The Slogan "Bottled At The Spring" was adopted. Exciting new soda water flavors were developed by the company in the lab, which was installed in the plant.The company sold most of the park to the city but retained the rights to the water. In 1949, the beautiful pavilion was demolished. The owners claimed it was beyond repair, and replaced it with a simple concrete block structure, which remains there today.Bethesda changed owners several times throughout the late 1970s - '90s. The change in ownership led to deterioration of the bottling equipment. In 1997, when the parent company of Bethesda (located in Pennsylvania), went bankrupt, the bottling of water ceased. The water continues to flow at Bethesda Spring, however, and is said to be of the same quality that Colonel Dunbar discovered in 1868.

Known by the Native Americans that inhabited the area, what became Bethesda Springs was first mentioned in the early 1830's when government workers took sick and a local guide informed them of the waters. By 1868, Col. Richard Dunbar had purchased the property from his sister in law Elizabeth Carney and launched the Bethesda Spring Water company, named after the pool of Bethesda in the Bible. He began what today is known as the Springs Era, transforming Waukesha into a world-renowned resort city. During the Depression, Bethesda Springs went into receivership and was purchased by the Chicago "Bon Ton" business which moved to Waukesha and continued to bottle the water through the 1970’s. Bethesda changed owners several times throughout the period spanning from the late 1970s to the 1990s. By 1997, Bethesda’s last owner went bankrupt and the bottling of water ceased.

Bethesda Spring

When the Park View Hotel opened its doors in the summer of 1881, there were two natural mineral springs located on the property. These springs were not yet named, but it was stated that the water from the springs was recognized as valuable for medicinal purposes, as was the case for most of Waukesha’s plentiful mineral springs. It wasn’t until around 1888 when the springs on the property were named and began to be developed. In that year, the Republican Freeman newspaper reported that the manager of Alma spring was shipping 10 barrels of water daily. It is difficult to give a solid answer as to whether or not there were actually two springs on the property of the Park View hotel, as there are several conflicting accounts and sources. There are many maps that show only one spring on the property, and many others that show that there were two. In some maps, it was shown that a single spring on the property was named Alma, but in later maps, this same single spring was labeled Almanaris. In the 1907 Memoirs of Waukesha County, both of the springs were listed, seeming to confirm that there were in fact two separate springs. Eventually, the Alma namesake stopped being used, and Almanaris spring began to grow as a business. A bottling plant had been constructed around 1891, and Almanaris spring water began to be bottled and marketed as a cure for all stomach diseases. Soon after, in 1892, The Park View hotel itself became the Waukesha branch of the Keeley Institute, a nationwide institution with the purpose of curing alcoholism. Almanaris spring continued to operate on the grounds, and patients of the Keeley Institute could freely make use of the spring. It was also published that Alamanaris spring water could be delivered fresh every morning to hotels and residences. Disaster struck in 1904 when the bottling plant of Almanaris spring was completely destroyed in a devastating fire. The plant was rebuilt in 1905, about two miles Northeast, and used a different spring to supply the water for bottling. It was at this time that the original spring at this site stopped being used for Almanaris water and beverages. At the new location, updated and improved bottling equipment was installed in the 1930s. The company was eventually bought out by Waukesha’s Bon-Ton Beverage Corporation but remained in business until 1948. The site on which the spring was located went through many changes and is now home to the Cooper Power Corporation, but the spring is not lost. Almanaris spring still flows from its tile-lined basin in the basement of the Cooper Power building. Although nothing of the original Almanaris spring remains on this site, The spring used by the company for 43 years at the second site still flows on.

Alma and Almanaris springs were located on the grounds of the Park View Hotel, located on the Northside of St.Paul Avenue. This hotel would eventually become a home of the “Keeley Cure”, a nationwide treatment for alcoholics. There is some confusion as to whether or not there were actually two springs located on the property, as multiple maps and accounts only show one spring on the property, while others show that there were two springs. In either case, Almanaris spring would become yet another celebrated spring in Waukesha, with the water being sold and promoted as a cure for a wide variety of illnesses.

Alma & Almanaris Springs

During the late 19th and early 20th century Waukesha became a wellness-destination for tourists. Hydropathy - or water cure - treatments had become rigor de jour in both the United States and Europe during the Victorian Era as an alternative to the interventions of traditional medical care. Wisconin's mild summer climate was especially attractive to tourists from Texas, Louisianna, and Mississippi.James K. Glenn, a New York millionaire, came to Waukesha in 1875 in search of a cure for his diabetes. Like countless others, Glenn relaxed and drank Waukesha's waters, and after a week he proclaimed himself cured. Inspired, Glenn wanted to join in the spring water business. He consulted Col. Richard Dunbar, a fellow New Yorker, and owner of the famed Bethesda Spring. At first Glenn proposed a business deal to become an agent selling Bethesda spring water in New York, but this deal never came to be.The Waukesha Freeman newspaper reported on October 7th, 1875 that a new spring had been "discovered" on West Ave. This spring was not in fact a proper natural spring where the water flows to the surface from a vein of groundwater, but a dug well. Glenn had purchased part of the property and dug the land down, so that it looked like a natural spring, surrounding it in limestone block. This spring was under a pavilion and was located behind a large office building with a sign “GLENN WAUKESHA MINERAL SPRING”. At the back of the building, there was a porch where guests could sit which later was enlarged to a small bath house. The property was surrounded by a white picket fence and included a second pavilion, which eventually became the location of the bottling plant, as well as a long driveway with boardwalk on each side and trees that eventually grew up create a canopy to shade the visitors. People could also access the park by renting a boat on the Fox River.   Within a few months from its initial purchase, everything was going well for the so-called Glenn Spring and it gained popularity. Trouble began in 1876 when Glenn started advertising the water bottled from his spring as Glenn-Bethesda. He claimed that his spring was the true source of the nearby Bethesda Spring, and therefore purer than Bethesda. Colonel Dunbar, the owner of Bethesda Spring, objected to the claim and name use, filing a lawsuit against Glenn for copyright infringement.Glenn attempted to prove that his spring was the true source of Bethesda by conducting an experiment to exhaust the flow of Bethesda spring. It is noteworthy that Glenn Spring is downhill from Bethesda Spring, therefore water would have to flow uphill for the claim that Glenn Spring was the source of Bethesda Spring to be true. This experiment failed, but Glenn would not be stopped. He proceeded to publish untrue and harmful claims about Bethesda Spring and Col. Dunbar in local newspapers. The people of Waukesha began to get angry with Glenn. Multiple additional tests were carried out to figure out once and for all if Glenn Spring was truly the source of Bethesda, and all of these tests proved that it was not. Finally, in an 1877 decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court it was decided that Bethesda was not Glenn's rightful trademark.Things eventually settled down and Glenn began to make up for what he had done, improving his standing in the Waukesha community. Glenn hired a businessman, Mr. N. H. Glenny, to manage the spring and Glenn visited the spring often during the summer months up until his death in February 1882. At the time of his death, James Glenn was fondly remembered by the Waukesha community, despite the earlier water fiasco. Glenn Spring was sold to new owners by J. K. Glenn’s window, Mary, their daughter, Cordie, and her husband, George.In 1883, Theodore H. Bryant of Chicago purchased the Glenn Spring for $30,000 and talked about improving the property. It ended up being only talk and after going into foreclosure in 1887, Theodore sold it to Charles Browne of Colorado for $40,000. This sale was voided by lawsuits. Mary Glenn purchased the spring again for $28,000 on May 20, 1887, allowing the bottling of Glenn Spring water to continue. Glenny was noted as the manager there in 1888. In July of 1891, Mary sold the Glenn Springs property to Roland R. Conklin for $15,000.          Prior to the 1893 Chicago Columbian World Exposition, James E. McCley purchased the Glenn Spring from Conklin with the intention of pumping water from a combined Glenn-Hygiea Spring reservoir through a pipeline to Chicago. There he would sell 'fresh' Waukeha Spring Water to the millions of projected attendees at the Exposition. However, residents stopped the pipeline and in the end Glenn Spring was sold with Hygiea Spring to J. K. Anderson.Anderson incorporated Glenn and Hygeia springs into the Waukesha Water Company. The public was admitted for free to the Hygeia-Glenn spring, making it a popular attraction. After six years, it fell into receivership and in 1900 a fire occurred in the Glenn Spring bottling plant.    Maps show that the spring was in existence until at least 1929, but shortly after the land was developed for homes. A reminder of the spring today comes in the form of a small alley named Glenwood Drive that leads from West Avenue to the Fox River. This alley follows the former entrance to Glenn Spring.

Glenn Spring was located on West Ave. next to Henk and Hygeia springs. Opened in 1875 by New York businessman J.K. Glenn, this little spring caused several controversies in Waukesha. The first was J.K. Glen's claim that his spring was the true source of the larger and more profitable Bethesda Spring.The second was during the early 1890's when the spring became part of the Great Pipeline Battle, to directly pump Waukesha spring water to the Chicago Colombian Exposition. The spring was purchased by James E. McElroy with the hope of pumping water from Hygiea Spring to Chicago for the World’s Colombian Exposition of 1893. The plan ultimately failed and the spring was sold, along with Hygeia Spring, to J.K. Anderson who incorporated the new Waukesha Water Company. Anderson opened the spring grounds for free to the community. The site remained through the end of the 1920's but was developed for residential homes after 1929. Today an alleyway, Glenwood Drive is a small reminder of the former Glenn Spring site.

Glenn Spring 

On December 13th, 1881, August Clemons and Maggie K. (Dambruch) Henk purchased property at 406 West Ave. in Waukesha. Prior to the purchase, August and his brother-in-law George Dambruch had a root beer bottling business in Milwaukee. George and Carrie (nee Henk) Dambruch, moved to Appleton and bottled root beer and eventually soda as the Appleton Bottling Works. Around the same time, August and Maggie moved to Waukesha, purchased the West Ave. property and immediately began improving and developing the natural spring into the Henk Mineral Spring.This spring, like the rest of the springs in Waukesha, was a cold spring, used by many as a source of drinking water. The Waukesha Freeman newspaper reported on June 15th, 1882, that the bottling of spring water and beverages such as root beer and ginger ale had begun at the site. The bottling plant was located at the back of the property, along the bank of the Fox River. A springhouse was built to protect the spring from outside contaminants such as leaves, dirt, and rain. The springhouse was an octagonal structure with a doorway protruding from it. This would later be changed to a simple A-frame structure.The 1890s proved to be a prosperous time for Henk Mineral Spring. In 1899 Henk was quoted saying that the company was putting out two train carloads of cases of products per week. The company bottled beverages and spring water year-round. They took advantage of the decrease in orders in winter to fill up reserves to ensure that they didn't run out during the summer when there was higher demand. At that time Henk Mineral Spring had 10 to 15 employees working for it. One of the Henk Mineral Spring’s employees, John Wheeler, was seriously injured in an explosion of a large generator in July of 1890. John Wheeler recovered from his injuries and went on to bottle his own soda. August’s sons William, Edward, Arthur, and Clarence were also employed at the bottling plant at some point. When August Henk passed away on August 15th, 1909, ownership of the company and property, including debts, went to his family. In 1918, August’s children involved with Henk Mineral Spring proposed changes to the company in an attempt to expand their reach and capitalize on the market in Milwaukee. To supply the Milwaukee markets, trucks would be run between Waukesha and Milwaukee. This idea never really got off the ground, and in 1919 the remaining members of the Henk family left the company.The company reorganized in 1920 and was placed in the hands of Milwaukee attorney Carl H. Jurgens. The new company was called the Crystal Crown Mineral Spring Co. This name lasted only a year, and in 1921 the name was changed back to Waukesha Henk Company, Incorporated. The company went bankrupt on December 22, 1922. In June of 1924, the spring and land were sold to a man named A.A. Andrews. The spring house and buildings were demolished, and the land was developed for residential use.

August Clemons Henk opened a mineral spring site here in 1881, part of the first wave of new spring businesses capitalizing on the growing industry of Waukesha. The site included a bottling plant, in addition to a spring house for visitors to 'take the water' directly from the spring. Bottled products included the bottled spring water, as well as other soda and mixer beverages. After August Henk's death in 1909, Henk Mineral Spring was passed onto his children. Attempts to expand and reorganize the Henk Mineral Spring, including a name change to Crystal Crown Mineral Spring Co., eventually failed and by 1922 the company went bankrupt. In 1924, the land and business were sold to A. A. Andrews who tore down the spring house and developed the land for other purposes.

Henk Mineral Spring 

Opened in 1872, Hygeia spring was named for the Greek goddess of health and wellness. Opened and developed beginning in 1872 by Albert Carver and Edward Flannery, Hygeia Spring, named for the Greek Goddess of health, was located at the southwest corner of West and Wisconsin Avenues. The Hygeia springhouse, was one of the most opulent springhouse in Waukesha, and certainly one of the largest and most expensive. The pavilion was built from timber and plaster in the shape and style of a Greek temple, with rows of fluted columns, and a statue of the goddess Hygeia overlooking the stairway down to the spring. Slabs of local limestone lined the spring basin, with the spring itself lined with a circle of cut limestone. A pump powered by two steam engines could barely keep the tremendous flow of the water at bay during the installation.On May 20, 1876, Carver sold his portion of Hygeia to Flannery for $1300. In 1882, William H. Anderson, a man who figured prominently in many Waukesha springs, leased Hygeia for five years from Flannery. He had the building adjoining the spring made into an office and reception house. In 1884, Anderson left Hygeia when he was appointed manager of Silurian Spring. Flannery sold his spring to Camilla A. Smith. Her home still stands on the corner of West and Park Avenues.The Chicago Columbian Exposition drew the attention of companies anxious to attract international attention. Waueksha Spring company was among those looking for business opportunities at the event. In 1891, James McElroy, a Kansas City speculator living in Chicago, came up with a plan to build a pipeline from one of the famous springs in Waukesha down to the Columbian Exposition. There he would sell the water to the millions of visitors expected in attendance. After purchasing the Hygeia Mineral Springs, McElroy started his plan by filing incorporation papers for the Waukesha Hygeia Mineral Spring Company and the Waukesha Pipeline Construction Company in July of 1891. McElroy initially received permission from the village board to lay his pipes, but this was rescinded quickly as the people of Waukesha realized that it would be more beneficial to have fair goers come to Waukesha. At that time multiple passenger trains ran daily from Chicago to Waukesha. Nonetheless McElroy proceeded and with his pipeline plan, and purchasing the nearby Glenn Spring as well. A reservoir was constructed, drawing on water from both spring sites, that would supply the pressure for the pipeline. McElroy continued to execute his plan by purchasing land rights all the way to Chicago.Residents heard rumors that McElroy was continuing with his plan and Village President Sleep set up a watch at the spring to signal if anything was happening.  One Saturday evening in May 1892, while the village slept, a train pulled into the St. Paul Railway Depot with 300 laborers from Chicago, two cars of pipes, one of provisions, and one with horses to begin pipeline construction. They were quickly noticed, and the a fire bell began ringing continuously, waking the residents who mobilized and marched toward the Hygeia Spring carrying rifles, pistols, shovels, and pitchforks. The puzzled workmen stopped in confusion. They had been told they had to lay the pipeline in a hurry and expected to work on Sunday, but they had not been told to expect any opposition. County and village officials attempted to keep order, including local attorneys Timothy Edward Ryan and Theron W. Haight who spoke to the crowd and urged them to be ready and guard the spring, but to not commit any violence. Around 3 am the workmen withdrew, only to return again a few hours later. The alarm sounded again and another confrontation occurred, only this time a tall figure, 'Long Jones,' manager of Bethesda spring, explained to the foreman that they were not welcome and that he could not guarantee their safety. This time the workmen left for good. McElroy was arrested for disturbing the peace and was found to have $8,000 in cash and a revolver in his suit jacket.The battle dragged on for another year as McElroy persuaded the State Legislature to pass a bill allowing him to lay pipe through the grounds of the nearby Wisconsin State School for Boys. A trainload of 745 citizens headed to Madison to protest the legislation, and Governor Peck vetoed the bill, ending McElroy's plan to run his pipeline through the village.McElroy, not wanting to give up, purchased another spring just south of Waukesha in the village of Big Bend. He named this spring Hygeia No. 2, so he could claim the water came from the “Hygeia Spring in Waukesha.” The pipeline was laid from Big Bend through Kenosha and Racine counties to the outskirts of the city of Chicago. Because the city of Chicago would also not allow the pipes to be laid in its city, the water was then transported to the Exposition by tanker trucks. Sold for a penny a glass, the water was not received well at the Exposition, as the water had lost it's 'effervescence' in the pipeline and was described as tasting flat.  The Hygeia Spring was closed after the pipeline controversy. In 1896, J. K. Anderson, who had been involved in Silurian, Arcadian, and Lithia Springs and was the brother of William H. Anderson, purchased the Hygeia Spring that had once been valued at more than $1,000,000 for only $20,000. He formed the Waukesha Water Company with the purchase of Glenn Spring too. Anderson gained public popularity with free admission to the spring. Shortly after his purchase, Anderson proposed that the City of Chicago buy water using the old pipe line installed for the Exposition. Within six years the Waukesha Water Company went into receivership and company assets were sold off to pay the $50,000-$60,000 debt. Hygeia went through a series of owners without renewed success. The Greek temple pavilion was demolished in 1914.

Hygeia Spring, named after the Greek Goddess of health, was located at the southwest corner of West and Wisconsin Avenues. Albert Carver and Edward Flannery opened the spring in 1872, later selling the spring to James C. McElroy.McElroy intended to create a pipeline from Hygeia Spring to the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, in order to provide Waukesha's renown spring water "directly from the source." While the village of Waukesha initially approved the pipeline, the community and other spring businesses successfully pressured village leaders to recind the approval. McElroy was determined to see his vision fulfilled and this resulted in what was referred to as the Great Pipeline Battle.

Hygeia Spring

Plymouth Rock spring opened to the public in July of 1893. It was owned by William H. Anderson, a man who was involved with several Waukesha springs. There was a hotel located on the property called the Plymouth Rock Hotel, a building which was formally known as the Hygeia Springs Hotel, as Hygeia spring was located right across the street. To protect the water from outside contamination and maintain the purity of the water, a spring house was built over the spring. The springhouse of Anderson's Plymouth Rock spring was unlike many of the other spring houses in the area. In Waukesha it was common to see large ornately built springhouses to both protect the water and to add to the beauty of the area. The Plymouth Rock spring house, however, was a large ordinary-looking building, without elaborate design or decoration. Descriptions given of the interior of the springhouse tell that the spring itself was enclosed by a wooden railing, and people could look down into it from an observation platform above. There was also seating inside. As with most of the springs in Waukesha, Anderson claimed that the water from his spring could cure ailments, and even all kidney, liver, or bladder diseases. Anderson himself lived at the Plymouth Rock Hotel through 1895, but his involvement in the Plymouth Rock spring ended in 1900 when he became manager of a different Waukesha spring. Plymouth Rock spring was renamed Bandusia when it was sold, and the spring would change hands a few times over the ensuing years but would remain open to the public. As the craze for Waukesha water died down, several of Waukesha's springs were closed and filled in. This was the fate for Plymouth Rock spring, as the hotel and spring were both torn down after 1915 and homes were built on the location. The living memory of this spring, however, persisted well into the 20th century. In 1968 an interview was conducted with Waukesha resident Dorothy Marvin, who remembered the spring and recalled how children ran around inside the large springhouse on hot days. Though nothing today remains of Plymouth Rock spring, its history isn't lost.

Plymouth Rock spring was located right across the street from Hygeia, Henk, and Glenn Springs, on the corner of Wisconsin and West Avenue. All of these springs, like the rest in Waukesha, were cold mineral springs used by many for drinking water. Plymouth Rock spring is perhaps one of the lesser-known springs of Waukesha. It was opened by local spring magnate William H. Anderson in 1893, and like most of Waukesha's many springs, it was claimed that drinking water from this spring cured multiple ailments such as diabetes and Bright's disease.

Plymouth Rock / Bandusia Spring 

Inspired by the Silurian Spring House that once stood in the present Spring Park, this replica was made to honor the legacy of the Spring Era in shaping the City of Waukesha. The octagon design was typical of many spring house structures. The raised center platform indicates where the spring would have been exposed for tourists "taking the waters." The open pavilion style also indicates the seasonal nature of the springs. They were summer destinations, with companies focusing on bottling and shipping production during the cooler months.Originally installed at the Five Points intersection just a short distance away, the pavilion proved to be an inconvenience for drivers downtown. It was moved to the present location, as part of the river walk improvement project.

This replica of the Silurian Spring house was originally placed in downtown Waukesha, at the so-called Five Points intersection of Main, Broadway, and Grand Ave. It was later moved to the present location along the Fox River Walk as a reminder of the spring houses that once populated the city.

Reproduction Silurian Spring House

It is not known exactly where the springs were located. It is interesting to note that the stream originated on this property, continued on to Horeb Park, where more springs drained into it, and then wandered across Delafield Street to the site of the present (old VFW Post) Tuscan Hall Banquet Center and Catering. This is where the Wheeler Brothers Waukesha Soda Water Company was located. From there, the stream ran back across Delafield Street and supplied Weber's pond, from which ice was cut in the winter. It then drained into the Fox River.As of this writing, there is a proposal to build an apartment complex on the site of what was once Weber's Pond. This project is to replace the dilapidated building that previously housed Value Foods, and then Jendusa Pharmacy among other business over many years.

The exact location of these springs is unknown, but the location noted is seen as lowland marshy areas on 1940 GIS Aerial view mapping. The 1937 Waukesha Freeman Special Edition mentioned, "Bidwell Springs, before their overflow wanders into Horeb Park, breed the only trout to be found in the city limits." The Bidwell property was located to the West and North of the intersection of Summit and Delafield.

Waukesha Springs Tour

Lithia Spring

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context