Mineralwater springs and wells the handbook of texas. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the hot wells site on the san antonio river was home to several versions of a health spa and resort that piped sulfurous water from a hot edwards well to healthinducing swimming pools and baths. Offering a variety of facilities and services the hotel provides all you need for a good nights sleep. Hot wells was from 1894 to the early 1920s, a spa, hotel, bathhouse, and health resort along the san antonio river in the southside of san antonio, texas. Fairmount hotel the city of san antonio official city website. Brackenridge could not watch it happen, nor do anything about it, so he determined to dispose of his property. Motel 6 san antonio downtown alamodome 748 hot wells blvd. In honor of the season of spookiness, here are of our favorite classic san antonio urban legends, scary stories, and tall tales. Fairmont copley plaza 1912, hotel du pont 1903, john. The river is 240 miles long and crosses five counties. The head of the river was san antonio s sundayafternoon vacation land. Hot wells hotel site over the years san antonio expressnews.
Directly adjacent to the hotel itself sat another building which housed the bathhouse and spa, the ruins of which are all that remain at the site today. It eventually feeds into the guadalupe river about 10 miles from san antonio bay on the gulf of mexico. Accessible guest rooms with mobility features have doorways that provide 32 of clear width. Hot wells hotel spa, rudolph valentino was a regular here. Many traveled to the hot wells resort via their own private rail car, after southern pacific railroad tycoon e. Historic hotels of america is the official program of the national trust for historic preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest historic hotels. The hot wells conservancy creates value and enjoyment in the community for future generations through its four cornerstones. Many young men and women of the cypress area worked at hot wells in the hotel, restaurant or as lifeguards. If san antonio developer james lifshutz has his way, hot wells will live again. Motel 6 san antonio downtown alamodome is a popular choice amongst travelers in san antonio tx whether exploring or just passing through.
A pedestrian route that starts at the alamo and winds nine miles along the san antonio river passing four other historical missions. It is right across the street from the alamo, easy to get to and navigate from, and very close to the river walk. The 10 best historic hotels in san antonio may 2020 with. Zillow has 10 homes for sale in hot wells san antonio matching. Motel 6 san antonio, tx downtown alamo dome hotel in. Hot wells hotel, san antonio,texas by mike cox what the caretaker is guarding are the ruins of the old hot wells hotel, a place that early in the 20th century was.
Motel 6 san antonio downtown alamodome 748 hot wells blvd san. Book super 8 by wyndham san antonioalamodome area in san. The history of hot wells and whats in store for its future as part of the county park is detailed on. Off south prensa street on the edge of the city is a piece of private property where visitors are not. The hot wells hotel was a lavish, fourstory, 200room victorian style resort hotel built in 1886 along the san antonio river on south presa street. Youre sure to reserve a room possessing all the amenities and the traits you want. Some of these famous hotels are where prominent novelists may have stayed. Expressnews file photo 25 of 28 smoke billows from the roof of the hot wells hotel in 1988, one of several. The film featured future director john fords older brother, francis ford, as navarre, the villain.
County moves forward with hot wells rehabilitation project. Hot wells high school lassie yearbook san antonio, tx, covers 1 2 has the largest online yearbook collection of college, university, high school, middle school, junior high school, military, naval cruise books and yearbooks. Historic hotels san antonio about us the crockett hotel. Hot wells, a neighborhood located in southeast san antonio, began as a health spa and resort located on the san antonio river. Welcome to the hot wells hotel view large on black the hot. New park opening amongst ruins of historic hot well springs.
Aug 26, 2015 the national register of historic placeslisted fairmount hotel at the corner of south alamo and nueva streets was originally constructed in 1906 on commerce street. The hot wells hotel sign, columns and palms, on the entry road to the hotel grounds, san antonio, texas. Historic hotels of america historic travel experiences. Directly adjacent to the hotel itself sat another building which housed the bathhouse and. Jun 26, 20 in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the hot wells site on the san antonio river was home to several versions of a health spa and resort that piped sulfurous water from a hot edwards well to. That we are named for davy crockett, defender of the alamo and one of history s favorite frontiersmen is no coincidence. Welcome to the hot wells hotel view large on black the. Those three words stir up quite an image among those who delve into the more esoteric history of 19th and early 20th century america. Hot wells of bexar county is the countys newest park located in precinct 1 at 5503 s. Raw aerial video of the historic hot wells hotel ruin in san.
The bathhouse could have been restored and that was mr. Among the ruins of the former hot wells hot sulfur springs and hotel. Natural spring flowing again at hot wells rivard report. Yet local lore has it that every texan has two hometownshis own and san antonio. The site in southeast san antonio where sulfur springs were first discovered in 1892, giving rise to a glamorous hotel and bathhouse, came full circle. Dec 07, 2012 old hotwells hotel investigation here in san antonio, tx. Managed by 1859 historic hotels, were steps away from the alamo, a pivotal battle in the texas revolution. Discover hot wells hotel and spa in san antonio, texas. The romanesque style building represents a wellpreserved example of the type of commercial development that was common throughout this area of san antonio, particularly after the arrival of the railroad, when san antonio. Home to the san antonio missions unesco world heritage site, a wide selection of entertainment and theme parks including six flags fiesta texas and countless museums as well as a vibrant nightlife district and enviable selection of restaurants and shops. Tourists coming to san antonio for the first time may see the alamo, the other old spanish missions, fort sam houstons quadrangle and the buckhorn saloon and think every venerable landmark in this historic city has been preserved for posterity. San antonios historic hot wells opening kicks off private. Jul 22, 2017 24 of 28 a san antonio firefighter battles a fire at the hot wells hotel in 1988.
Within two years, the propertys first owner had established the luxurious hot wells hotel, spa. Some pics of hot wells hotel old and in 2000 haunted in san antonio closing, castle, area texas tx page 30 citydata forum citydata forum u. Hot wells hotel and spa is now open to the public as a preserved historic park. Hot wells hotel and spa san antonio, texas atlas obscura. At ruins of historic hot wells resort, finally signs of life. The emily morgan hotel is a great place to stay in san antonio. Super 8 by wyndham san antonioalamodome area, san antonio. Hot sulphur spring water fed the swimming pools and bath areas, and is reported to still. President theodore roosevelt and porfirio diaz, a president of mexico. Hot wells high school lassie yearbook san antonio, tx. See, for example, this mapquest map of hot wells hot wells appears in the bottom right corner of the map. Book this hotel and collect nights after your stay.
Hot wells was a resort and railroad community on the texas and new orleans railroad twentyfour miles southeast of sierra blanca in southeastern hudspeth county. Abandoned tuberculosis hospital, home for troubled boys and rumored insane asylum. Ernst kapp, early geographer in texas, field and laboratory 14 january 1946. Hot wells, harris county, texas some maps of the houston area identify a location on highway 290 across 290 from the compaq campus, and just short of cypress called hot wells. Anne fox and cheryl lynn highley, history and archeology of the hot wells hotel site center for archeological research, university of texas at san antonio, 1985.
Aug, 20 san antonio expressnews file photo room key boxes at the counter inside the hot wells hotel. Established in 1894, hot wells which once used water from a hot edwards aquifer well was a popular spa, hotel, bathhouse, and health resort until the early 1920s. But company head gaston melies and director wallace mccutcheon specifically chose san antonio for its military history, or at least they claimed to. Owner james lifshutz tours the south side ruins of the onceacclaimed hot wells resort.
Welcome to the hot wells hotel view large on black. Scheers intention before the last fire destroyed it as well. In 2015, bexar county acquired the ruins and surrounding land for preservation and public use. Book motel 6 san antonio downtownalamodome in san antonio. From the ruins of the hot wells resort, a dream of renewal. The story behind the long lost alamo movie of 1911 texas. The second largest city in texas, san antonio is both a fun and historic city to visit, attracting tens of millions of visitors each year. Well even let you know about secret offers and sales when you sign up to our emails. Scott huddleston is a staff writer in the san antonio and bexar county area. San antonio the grand opening of hot wells of bexar county is set for tuesday, april 30 at 10 a. Plans are underway in 2015 to restore hot wells to the glamour of its heyday, when international visitors included u. By the late 1890s, flows at san antonio springs had been drastically reduced by the drilling of numerous additional edwards wells and a long drought.
The oncefamous hot wells bathhouse gets a facelift san. The national register of historic placeslisted fairmount hotel at the corner of south alamo and nueva streets was originally constructed in 1906 on commerce street. John hackett, the first postmaster, was also the proprietor of the hot wells bath house and town. Located in san antonio, motel 6 san antonio downtownalamodome is in the city center. Harriman commissioned a side track built to the site. History and archaeology of the hot wells hotel site, 41bx237. One young man was robert rivera who took these photos of hot wells prior to when the hotel burned down in 1955. Longawaited hot wells park, site of former resort, opens. Historic hotels of america was founded in 1989 by the national trust for historic preservation with these charter members. This is an excerpt of the investigation where we are using a ghost box and getting pretty good results. The san antonio river is a major waterway that originates in central texas in a cluster of springs in midtown san antonio, about 4 miles north of downtown, and follows a roughly southeastern path through the state.
The romanesque style building represents a wellpreserved example of the type of commercial development that was common throughout this area of san antonio, particularly after the arrival of the railroad, when san antonios. Bexar eyes role in preservation of hot wells resort san. It was founded before 1912, when a post office was established there. The alamo citys charm, colorful surroundings, and diverse cultures combine to make it one of the most interesting places in texas and the. From early 1910 to april 11 that year, he did some 80 movies mostly westerns in san antonio, including a minor classic, the immortal alamo. Hot wells has been a natural draw since sulfur springs were first discovered on the site in 1892. The hot wells complex would be on the west side of s. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the hot wells site on the san antonio river was home to several versions of a health spa and resort that piped sulfurous water from a hot edwards well to. San antonio zoo and aquarium and splashtown are not to be missed.
By 1908, the hotel had expanded to become one of the largest in the southwest, and the site became a popular destination for the powerful and famous of the day. Hot wells resort the city of san antonio official city. President theodore roosevelt and porfirio diaz, a president of mexico history. It is one of the greatest natural resources on earth, serving the diverse agricultural, industrial, recreational, and domestic needs of almost two million users in south central texas. Crockett hotel tops the list of historic hotels in san antonio. It is a spacious, sunny, relaxing, and clean hotel, the room, the dining area, and has plenty of. Hot wells conservancy was created to preserve the vestiges of the historic hot wells hotel and provide educational, cultural and environmental programming. San antonio has 1584 vintage hotels that maintain the feel and look of another era.
At ruins of historic hot wells resort, finally signs of. Hot wells found itself a faded dream on the south side, said james lifshutz, a san antonio developer who bought the hot wells property 10 years ago. This replacement became a popular vacation spot, bringing in celebrities such as charlie chaplin and teddy roosevelt. San antonio is in the national spotlight as one of the fastest growing and most dynamic emerging major cities in america. South of presa a visit to three of the most scariest.
It is just 5 miles from san antonio zoo and the river walk entertainment district. This hidden sculpture garden full of wild west art is one of san. Within two years, the propertys first owner had established the luxurious hot wells hotel. History and archaeology of the hot wells hotel site, 41bx237 anne a. Sep 27, 2016 this completely updated, new edition of san antonio uncovered highlights san antonio as a modern, thriving city with the feel of a small town that sees beauty in the old and fights to save it, even something as seemingly insignificant as an old humble oil station. A free hot breakfast and rooms with free wireless internet are available at this san antonio hotel. The edwards aquifer is a unique groundwater system and one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. With the help of the utsa special collections, vintage san antonio a photo history has built an expansive collection of vintage photos you wont find anywhere else. The purpose of the project was to locate and map the foundations of. The economy soured in the great depressions and san antonio s fortunes waned. The hotel, built in 1893, burned down in 1894 and had to be rebuilt in 1900. Raw aerial video of the historic hot wells hotel ruin in. A vintage postcard showcasing the hot wells resort in its original form. Aug 26, 2015 1985 history and archaeology of the hot wells hotel site, 41bx237, center for archaeological research, the university of texas at san antonio, archaeological survey report no.
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