Excelsior Springs, MO

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Excelsior Springs, Missouri was founded in 1880 upon the site of a mineral water spring after settlers discovered its medicinal qualities. Eventually 20 springs bubbling out four distinct varieties of water gave Excelsior Springs the rightful claim of having the world’s greatest group of mineral waters. The particularly unusual feature of the distinguished group lies in the fact that it includes two of the six world’s known iron-manganese springs.

Eventually the waters were bottled and shipped worldwide. International attention was directed to the spa resort at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 when medals were awarded Regent spring water and Soterian ginger ale. State and national organizations were quick to recognize Excelsior Springs as an ideal convention city. Hotels were built to house the thousands of visitors, including the most famous, the National Register Elms Hotel, built 1912. President Harry Truman spent the 1948 election night at the Elms.

In 1935 the city of Excelsior Springs began a $1 million Federal Public Works Administration project, the Hall of Waters, to house Siloam Spring and bottle it and nine other mineral waters. The waters bottled here included calcium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate (soda water), sulfo-saline, and iron manganese. The building is one of two Art Deco buildings in the city. It is listed on the Local Landmarks Register, the Clay County Historical Register and the National Register of Historic Places. It is the center piece of the Local Register Hall of Waters Historic District, designated in March 2007. Public offices are housed here today, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It houses the world’s longest water bar. The water bar solarium features a self-guided walking tour of the history of Excelsior Springs and is available for community events.

Downtown revitalization is an ongoing partnership of public and private endeavors. Volunteers are cleaning existing well sites, a new walking tour of the mineral waters will be available upon the unveiling of the new bottled water. Mineral water pavilions are being repaired or replaced