GC2RCHF Those therapeutic natural springs (Traditional Cache) in Virginia, United States created by altbiers

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offline.cacher: No response from CO

GC2RCHF ▼

A cache by altbiers Message this owner

Hidden : 4/2/2011

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

In the 1700's underground springs were considered medicinal/therapeutic and many travelers went many miles to spend a day at the springs. Beaufont Springs was a destination for many Richmonder's as they traveled across the river to the country side. Fairly easy cache to find, just mind the landscaping.

This area was called Crow Springs and had it's own post office and physician in the 1800's
Enjoy the mini park, and the restored bath house. For the FTF there is a travel bug who took a therapeutic bath at the bathhouse. I also threw in some nice patches and sea shells for the kiddos. Also, a little historical note to my other cache posted today. Beaumont Springs's water was bottled by Home Brewing Company in Richmond during prohibition as they tried to develop new products to stay afloat.

From the Chesterfield historical society- This area was originally called Crow Spring and later renamed Beaufont (French for “beautiful spring”) by its purchaser, James Robertson, when he bought it in 1895. Robertson developed it commercially the following year and called his company the “Beaufont Lithia Springs Company.” Why Lithia? If you look the word up, you find that it is a derivative of the Greek word, “lithos” meaning “stone.” From the stones of granite at Beaufont came water that was promoted as having special therapeutic properties. In 1817, a Swedish student named Johan Arvedson discovered lithium, but it is widely believed to have been in use for ages, possibly in Southern Egypt before the birth of Jesus Christ. In the late 1800’s, the Lithia Springs Sanitarium was established in Georgia. It used natural lithium water in treating alcoholism, opium addiction, and compulsive behavior. Manic depression had not been identified as a mental illness at that time. Lithia water was analyzed and found to be rich in lithium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, fluoride, and other essential trace minerals. Back at Beaufont, Mr. Robertson and his son were taking their spring water downtown by horse team. From there it was shipped to cities such as Washington, Philadelphia, and New York. The company changed hands in 1916 and business boomed during Prohibition. The new owner, Frederick Sitterding Sr., added six to eight flavors of carbonated beverage to his inventory. These “soft drinks” led to the formation of a sister company, Climax Beverages. Mr. Sitterding owned another company called The Home Brewery, which joined forces with Beaufont Springs, adding a brewery and ice plant to the joint venture which lasted until 1933. By then, municipal water systems had improved to the point where bottled water was not in such demand and the water bottling part of the business was shut down in 1940. The area of Beaufont Spring enjoyed a brief revival in the 50’s when the Sitterding family built a picnic ground and recreation area around the Spring. This area was available for rent and for business parties and was quite popular. Volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, and a dance pavilion were well-used amenities. Caterers were used to bring in food, but renters were required to purchase their beer and soft drinks through the Company. Upon construction of Chippenham Parkway and the commercial properties in Beaufont and the Boulders, the water became muddy, but the springhouse bottling plant and picnic area were preserved by Sigma Development, the developers of the Boulders Office Park. These areas can still be visited today.