TRAVEL: Mineral Spring at the Riverside Inn
Cambridge Springs, PA

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At the suggestion of our own Gail Perry*, family members and I had a wonderful brunch at a fine old Victorian hotel called the Riverside Inn beside French Creek in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania.  We were very pleased with the food**, the value, the service and especially the ambience of the late 1800s.

*Gail Perry, Tourism Information Specialist, works with
regional tourism offices and owns Regional Tourism Brochure
Distribution Service - Great Places Information Showcase. 

Contact Gail for great travel ideas at grenee@velocity.net.

**Brunch included of eggs, sausage, ham, salad, fresh fruit, wonderful raspberry iced tea, apple pie, chocolate mousse, plus much, more more.

 

Built in 1885 and known as Hotel Riverside in a town then called Cambridgeboro, it was among 40 hotels of all sizes constructed during the era of mineral spring madness that had spread across the United States!  This grand dame is the last hotel of those hotels still standing and has been in continuous operation from the day its door opened. 

Its existence came about after Dr. John H. Gray poked a metal prod into the dirt in search of oil, which was discovered in Titusville, PA in 1859, a town also located on French Creek.  A stream of crystal clear water shot forth from the spring below with such force it is said to have nearly knocked him down!  Knowing water wasn't worth quite as much as oil, the doctor wasn't too thrilled with his discovery.  As time passed though, it was noted that men and animals that drank from the water never seemed to get sick. 

In 1884, Dr. Gray visited Hot Springs, Arkansas with a patient who was treated at  the mineral spring there.  Convinced that his own mineral spring held curative powers,  Dr. Gray drilled four more springs.  For a long time, folks called that part of French Creek Fountain Valley. 

Dr. Gray built a spring house, and the miracle cure was bottled and sold.  Analyzed, it was found to contain potassium chloride, sodium sulfate, sodium bicarbonate, silica, alumina, magnesium bicarbonate and calcium bicarbonate plus traces of phosphoric acid and arsenic!

A year later, the luxury Hotel Riverside/Riverside Hotel with 74 guest rooms was constructed.  Surrounded by unpainted wooded fencing to corral the  Jersey dairy herd and bulls that grazed the nearby pastures, this serene setting offered a myriad of baths to sooth the soul, such as cabinet, Turkish baths, sea salt and needle baths- yikes!  Even electrical treatments were available.

With a central location halfway between New York City and Chicago on the Erie Railroad tracks, less than 100 miles from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo and 22 miles from Erie, PA, word soon got out about the wonders of Hotel Riverside.  Eight trains pulled into Cambridgeboro every single day during the boom that ran during the 1800s and into the early 1900s.  Elegant horse drawn carriages, too, delivered wealthy patrons who wanted the tranquil country setting, stylish surroundings, exercise and the healthful treatments that mineral water offered.

Hotel Riverside was and is an imposing establishment - complete with a huge lobby containing a caged cashier's window with frosted glass and a marble counter.  There was a grand wooden staircase in the middle of the lobby, an office for guests to conduct business and a large parlor with a Western Union station in the rear.  The dining room still has wonderful light fixtures and stained glass windows. 

charming guestroom in the Riverside Inn

Entertainment was a prime past time, so long as it was proper entertainment, that is.  There was a music room for cantatas, orchestral, theatre, piano, solo instrumental and vocal performances as well as poetry and literary readings.  Tennis courts kept busy during good weather.  Tiddly winks, chess, checkers and cards were all played in the shade of the trees in the groomed gardens or on the vast wrap-around porch or any of the well-appointed rooms or quiet crannies throughout the resort.  Hotel Riverside was likewise advertised as a winter wonderland, and rightly so.  Snow on the roof, a large decorated tree in the lobby, a fresh evergreen wreath on the door said a gracious holiday welcome to all. 

Next to the large main hotel building was a two story building referred to as the casino.  It was large enough to accommodate elegant balls and galas plus bowling and billiards and the rental office for river boating. 

Since the mineral springs put the town of Cambridgeboro on the map, the city fathers changed the name to Cambridge Springs in 1897.  The novelty of mineral springs wore off after 1905, but the Hotel Riverside remained, adding a 9-hole, later expanded to 18, golf course.

There is talk among the locals of seeking grants to rebuild the springhouse and connecting boardwalk one day.  I hope they succeed.  It will further complement the wonderful job the owners, Michael and Marie Halliday, have done in continuing the dream that Dr. Gray had so many years ago.  Whether you've ever been to the Riverside Inn or not, please join me in thanking them for keeping the extraordinary tradition of gracious living alive! 

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Just across the way from the Riverside Inn, you'll find The Lavender Rabbit Gift Shop at the Riverside.  It's filled with art, antiques and enchantment. Call 814-398-8600 for info.