“The Attica Lithia Springs Company has leased a new
hotel, just completed, to W.C. Furman of Chicago, who will furnish it
immediately and open it up for the entertainment of guests”
This item made headlines in March of 1900. The above mentioned hotel boasted a
picturesque location on the 900 block of West Lithia Street, near the famous
mineral springs. All that remains of
the health resort is the pump house near the corner of Brady and Lithia that
houses the spring.
Hundreds of citizens of this area testified strongly to
the curative powers of the mineral waters against diseases of the stomach and
kidneys. According to one newspaper,
“Many people in other states have water shipped to them regularly, and Attica Lithia
water is now famous as a curative for stomach and kidney troubles and skin
diseases. The secretary of the company
receives letters daily from parties ready to enter the sanitarium as soon as it
opens.” The opening of the health
resort was greatly anticipated by area residents, both as a blessing and a
benefit to the merchants.
The hotel accommodated from 50 to 150 guests. It was estimated that each would spend $15
to $25 dollars a week, therefore contributing some $78,000.00 a year to the
city’s economy. The floors were painted
with hard floor varnish. Rugs were used
instead of carpets in accordance with the strict sanitation principles. Heated by steam heat and lighted by
electricity, the hotel was also equipped for the both mineral and fresh water
baths.
On April 18, 1900, was held the Grand
Reception Ball and Opening of the Lithia Springs Hotel. The reception committee consisted of Dr. W.H.
Honn, medical director of the sanitarium; Mr. And Mrs. C.W. Hickman; Mr. And Mrs. B.S. Orr; Mr. Frank Holmes, and
Miss Zedia North. Guests arrived until
9:00 when about 500 persons had assembled for the Grand March. The Williamsport Band played for the arrival
of guests on the west veranda. The
Grand March was led by Alexander Holmes and his wife; Holmes was the largest
stockholder and president of the company.
The above picture and
article appeared in the 1966 centennial edition of the Attica Ledger Tribune.
Isabel Johnson Miller used
to tell stories about local families in the early 1900’s checking into the
Lithia Hotel during extreme weather.
None of the homes had the heating system that the hotel had, so people
would remove to the hotel and be toasty during the cold spells. The hotel was a “popular spot” in Attica for
25 years and a favorite spot to entertain.
The Lithia Hotel was
located in the 900 block of South Brady Street to Perry Street. After it burned and before houses were
started there in the 1940’s the area was referred to as the Lithia lot. During the 1930’s and 40’s, circuses and
carnivals were held there. Boys also
rode their bicycles in and around the 15’ to 20’ deep gravel pit on the
property and ate crab apples from the crab apple tree that grew there.
Resources – History of
Fountain Co. Indiana 1983, Attica Ledger Tribune, Isabel Miller, Dale and Betty
Jaynes Clawson.
