Victorian Life & the Springs Era

The Bethesda Spring park seen here in the 1890’s. The grounds were ‘improved’ from a horse pasture. In the background, on the left, is the Terrace Hotel. The Spring House dominates the right of the picture. The grounds included walking paths, green space, and landscaping to create features like the pond above.
Between 1868 and 1914 Waukesha County was redefined by the discovery and promotion of healing springs and summer resort culture. The period saw the founding of 200 spring companies, construction dozens health spas and resorts, and a boom of private estate development in the Lake Country.

It began in 1868 with Col. Richard Dunbar’s discovery of a “healing spring” on Elizabeth Clarke’s property. The Springs Era was influenced by developments in medical practice and alternative medicines, the rising wealth of the Gilded age, advancements in transportation, and the emergence of leisure time for middle class Americans.