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Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 History  





2 Mineral springs  





3 Museum  





4 Ecology  





5 Gallery  





6 See also  





7 References  





8 External links  














Berkeley Springs State Park






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Coordinates: 39°3736N 78°1340W / 39.62667°N 78.22778°W / 39.62667; -78.22778
 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Berkeley Springs State Park
Park buildings
Map showing the location of Berkeley Springs State Park
Map showing the location of Berkeley Springs State Park

Location of Berkeley Springs State Park in West Virginia

LocationMorgan, West Virginia, United States
Coordinates39°37′36N 78°13′40W / 39.62667°N 78.22778°W / 39.62667; -78.22778
Area7 acres (2.8 ha)[1]
Elevation617 ft (188 m)
EstablishedJuly 1, 1970[2]
Websitewvstateparks.com/park/berkeley-springs-state-park/

Berkeley Springs State Park

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

LocationS. Washington and Fairfax Sts., Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
Area5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built1785
Built byJames Rumsey
NRHP reference No.76001943[3]
Added to NRHPMay 24, 1976

Berkeley Springs State Park is situated in the center of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, USA. The centerpiece of the Park is its historic mineral spa. These waters were celebrated for their medicinal or restorative powers and were generally taken internally for digestive disorders, or bathed in for stress relief. Native peoples visited these springs as did George Washington. Berkeley Springs is the only state-run spa in the United States and is operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

History

[edit]

The Park is located on land which has been used as a health resort since the 1750s as the property of Lord Fairfax. On 18 March 1748, George Washington, then 16, visited the spa for the first time.[4] An annual event is held to commemorate this historic visit, but the tub where Washington supposedly bathed was rebuilt in the 1930s. Colonial maps dating as early as 1740 credit medicinal properties to the springs' waters.[5]

The land was officially granted to Virginia in 1776. The town of Bath was incorporated that same year[4] (it was called Warm Springs before its incorporation[6]).

The historic Roman Bathhouse, the oldest public building in Berkeley Springs, was built in Federal-style architecture in 1815 on the site of an earlier bathhouse attributed to James Rumsey.[7] The earlier bathhouse, built in 1784, is described as having had five bathing chambers and dressing rooms.

On 1 January 2019, the Old Roman Bathhouse building closed down for renovation (including handicap access, new bath tiles, bath benches, new boiler system) for a period of 6 months and a $1-million budget.[7]

Mineral springs

[edit]

Water flows from natural mineral springs at a constant temperature of 74.3 degrees, emerging from the Oriskany (Ridgeley) sandstoneofWarm Springs Ridge. Five major springs merge on the location of the spa. The water contains significant amounts of sulfates, nitrates, and carbonates—mostly magnesium carbonates. The discharge varies from 750 to 2,000 US gallons (2,800 to 7,600 L) per minute.[6]

The water is available for bathing at two park bathhouses and for drinking from a fountain at the 19th century Gentlemen's Spring House — as well as from every tap in town since the springs serve as the source of the municipal water supply. The current bathhouse includes nine separate bathing chambers with tubs capable of holding a total 750 gallons of water heated to 102 degrees. These baths are open to the public daily throughout the year and water is also bottled and sold commercially.

The town is also the organizer of the annual Berkeley Springs’ International Water Tasting Competition.[6]

Museum

[edit]

The Museum of the Berkeley Springs is located on the second floor of the bathhouse. Established in 1984, it exhibits various historical items of natural and cultural significance to the springs and town. Admission is free, and the museum is open at least on weekends from March through December.

Ecology

[edit]

The waters that leak directly from the spring are home to an introduced population of guppies that date to around the early 1940s.[8] Originally from South America, they are able to survive throughout the year due to the constantly warm waters that outflow from the spring.

Several other species of fish make their way up from Warm Spring Run into the hot spring itself. These fish include eastern blacknose dace, creek chub, central stoneroller, and bluntnose and cutlips minnows.[9] There are also crayfish in the spring, and water snakes are seen occasionally as well.

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  • ^ Where People and Nature Meet: A History of the West Virginia State Parks. Charleston, West Virginia: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. April 1988. ISBN 0-933126-91-3.
  • ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  • ^ a b "Berkeley Springs State Park". West Virginia State Parks. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  • ^ "They Made Me Drink the Water". Undark Magazine. May 26, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  • ^ a b c "Bay Journal - Article: Soak in the charm of West Virginia's Berkeley Springs". www.bayjournal.com. Retrieved January 14, 2020.[dead link]
  • ^ a b Vincent, Jenni. "Historic Berkeley Springs bathhouse getting nearly $1M in renovations". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  • ^ Bias, Alan (September 8, 2016). "Berkeley Springs, West Virginia Feral Guppies". Amazonas. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  • ^ "WARM SPRINGS RUN WATERSHED ASSESSMENT" (PDF). Warm Springs Watershed Association. December 2010.
  • [edit]
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Berkeley_Springs_State_Park&oldid=1177396218"

    Categories: 
    Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia
    Destination spas
    Historic districts in Morgan County, West Virginia
    History museums in West Virginia
    Museums in Morgan County, West Virginia
    National Register of Historic Places in Morgan County, West Virginia
    Natural history of West Virginia
    Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
    Protected areas of Morgan County, West Virginia
    State parks of West Virginia
    Hidden categories: 
    Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
    Webarchive template wayback links
    Articles using NRISref without a reference number
    All articles with dead external links
    Articles with dead external links from February 2023
    Articles with short description
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    Use mdy dates from August 2023
    Coordinates on Wikidata
    NRHP infobox with nocat
    Commons category link is on Wikidata
     



    This page was last edited on 27 September 2023, at 12:26 (UTC).

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