7.14a.052

This illustration is of the hotel and bath houses at the Bath Spring, which formerly was located on the north side of the railroad embankment on Bath Street. Presently, two gas stations, a restaurant-diner, and the Lower Bucks Hospital occupies the site. It was a spa of national importance recognized by the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. Dr. Benjamin Rush was one of its main supporters. Dr. Joseph DeNormandie of Bristol was the attendant physician. Eventually the spa, which was popular between the end of the Revolutionary War and 1821, declined when the Saratoga Springs in New York became the main spa. At this zenith, the spa had a race track, thirty-room hotel and other entertainment. Patrons came from the West Indies and various states. Bristol’s other hotel also housed guests. Patrons usually stayed a month or more in summer.

Undated

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