Crittenden Springs Hotel Beginning and End
I've written a couple of articles about the old Crittenden Springs Hotel and how grand and beautiful it was. Looking at the early pictures of it, when it was in it's prime, we realize what a great treasure that we have lost. What a shame it couldn't have been preserved and we could have had it today for a bed and breakfast or a Hotel.
One might wonder what ever happened to the grand mineral spring resort and if the spring is still running today. Here's the rest of the story.
The Crittenden Springs resort flourished until about 1910 when people began to doubt the medicinal purposes of the sulphur water and the final end came when the near by underground mining operations caused the water to disappear from the springs.
In 1915, Mr. R. W. Wilson, business man from Marion, was the owner of the now unused Hotel. He dismantled the top part of the building and build himself and his family a bungalow from the lumber. I'm not sure where he built this house.
The ground floor was made smaller and used as a single family dwelling for many years. Forrest Shewmaker family was the last to live in the house.
The Gazebo over the mineral spring at the base of the hill has long been gone, no one seems to know just when it was taken down or what happened to the materials it was made from. The flourishing mineral spring that bubbled up under the gazebo floor has dried up and only the rock formation of the opening of the spring is visible. No medicinal waters now flow from this spring. There is a small opening in the hill side that the sulphur water still flows from.
The bottom picture is all this is left of the house. Picture was made in October 2006.
A sad ending to a beautiful memorial time in our past history.
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