Saratoga Spa State Park
|
Saratoga Spa State Park
|
|
The Hall of Springs, 2008
|
|
 |
|
| Location | Saratoga Springs, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°3′4″N 73°48′14″W / 43.05111°N 73.80389°WCoordinates: 43°3′4″N 73°48′14″W / 43.05111°N 73.80389°W |
| Built | 1835 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Beaux Arts, Other |
| NRHP Reference # | 85002357 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 12, 1985 |
| Designated NHL | February 27, 1987 |
Saratoga Spa State Park is a 2,379-acre (9.63 km2) state park located in Saratoga County, New York in the United States. The park is in the City of Saratoga Springs, near US 9 and NY 50.
The grounds contain mineral springs, classical bath and spa houses, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
The area, part of which became the park, drew interest from Mohawk and Iroquois Native American tribes for its hunting and mineral springs. The Native American name for the area was Kayaderosseras. The first recorded use of the springs was by Sir William Johnson during the French and Indian War, who was brought to Saratoga to recover from wounds.
In the 19th century, the area became much visited for its purported medicinal effects. Entrepreneurs dug wells and bottled the mineral water for sale and gas companies sold the carbonation to soda fountains. In 1907, the stage was set to protect the springs in a lawsuit Frank Hathorn vs. Dr. Strong's Sanitarium, which showed that pumping on one well decreased the flow of water in wells across the city. The court certified the relationship between wells and when Dr. Strong stopped pumping, the flow of water in Mr. Hathorn's well resumed its natural flow. In 1908, as the springs were being depleted, the New York Assembly passed an injunction against pumping water; however the injunction was ignored. In 1909, governor Charles Evans Hughes signed into law a bill that made the springs of Saratoga a state reservation.
In the 1930s, Reconstruction Finance Corporation funds were used to develop bath houses, research facilities and a drink hall. The Saratoga Reservation was designed with graded walkways intended to help rehabilitate those with heart conditions. After World War II veterans were welcomed as part of their readjustment and Holocaust survivors began using the baths as part of their healing process.
...
Wikipedia