Peoria Mineral Springs
Archaeological site in Illinois, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peoria Mineral Springs is 14,500-year-old natural spring in the city of Peoria, Illinois, United States. The site, also known as Spring Hill, is located on a hillside on the historic West Bluff between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Moss Avenue.[2][3]
Peoria Mineral Springs | |
 The house on the property where the springs are located. They are not open to the public. | |
  | |
| Location | 701 W. 7th Ave., Peoria, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°41′45″N 89°36′15″W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1843, c. 11,500 B.C.E. |
| Architect | Moss, Zealy |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002593[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 5, 1982 |
Peoria Mineral Springs are a remnant of the glacial retreat of the Ice Age.[3] The quality of the water has a pH of 7.11 and a mineral breakdown between 500 and 700 parts per million.[3] The springs produce over 30,000 gallons every day.[4] It originally fed a former Peoria lake called Goose Lake, which was drained in the 1800s.[4]
The site was a Native American campground. Artifacts can still be found around the site.[2]
In 1843, a "cave-like barrel-vaulted brick reservoir" was constructed; the structure is concealed within the hillside and captures the flow of three separate springs.[2] The brick reservoir was built for Peoria's first water company, Peoria Water Works.[3] The springs supplied water to residents up to two miles away through hand-bored wooden pipes.[3][4][5] Lydia Moss Bradley had spring water supplied to her residence until her 1908 death.[3][6] The springs were Peoria's primary water source for about 15 years, until the population grew and a new water source close to the Illinois River was established.[3]
The water was bottled and sold in the 19th century. Ransom Hickey of Hickey Bottling Works sold beverages such as Peach Cider, Lithia Seltzer and Rose Malt.[3][4] Preston Clark patented the name Peoria Mineral Springs in 1892 and sold beverages as “Peoria Mineral Spring Soda.”[3] Get Rosy Malt was touted as a "temperance food drink for discriminating people."[4]
Later, the springs were deemed a safety hazard and filled with gravel.[3]
Renovation
The Traynor family purchased the property in 1969 with the intention of restoring the Federal style, post-colonial house on the site.[3][6] The property had belonged to Revolutionary War hero Captain Zeally Moss in the early 1830s, then to his son, William S. Moss, a businessman and riverboat captain. It took over two years to remove the gravel from the spring.[3]
The site was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1982.[2] The springs and the residence were added to the City of Peoria list of Historic Local Landmarks in June 1994.[7]
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