Wealthy folks from St. Louis and the Midwest used to flock to the small town of Okawville to soak in the healing waters of a mineral springs in Illinois. Today, you can still stay at the Original Springs Hotel and take in its healing waters.

The Original Springs Hotel was first opened in 1867, after the property’s owner learned that his water had an extremely high mineral content.
Original Springs Hotel/Facebook
An analysis of the water compared it to the Carlsbad Baths in Germany or the water at the spas of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
After a catastrophic fire destroyed the original building in 1891, the structure that currently houses the Original Springs Hotel opened in 1893.
Robert Hebron/Google
Today, the hotel is included on the National Register of Historic Places. (It’s also rumored to be haunted).
Since its 1893 opening, the hotel has added additional rooms and an indoor pool to become what it is today: a place with modern rooms appointed with a touch of the same classical elegance that the hotel’s original guests experienced.
George West/Google

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Spend an afternoon on the veranda - reading, chatting, or sipping a beverage - and you may feel transported back to the turn of the (last) century.
The Original Springs Hotel/Google
You don’t even have to leave the property for drinks or meals! There’s a full service bar and restaurant, the Boiler Room, on site.
D Scalos/Google
Even with all the updates, the hotel maintains the mineral spring baths on which it was originally founded. You can still take its healing waters and even book additional spa services.
Hillary Kaufmann/Google

Learn more about the Original Springs Hotel and its history, or make reservations, on the hotel’s website. There are so many delightful communities with interesting histories, like Okawville, in the Prairie State – you should certainly take the time to explore some of the other charming small towns in Illinois.

Have you had a chance to visit Okawville and the Original Springs Hotel? What are some other small towns with unique histories in Illinois?

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The Original Springs Hotel, 506 N Hanover St, Okawville, IL 62271, USA