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 Hancock Springs Bathhouse
N 31° 03.282 W 098° 10.988
14R E 577939 N 3435950
One of three historic markers at Hancock Springs park just south of Lampasas.
Waymark Code: WMH3DD
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/15/2013
Views: 8
The lovely Hancock Springs free-flow pool near Sulphur Creek in Lampasas TX has beautiful cooling turquoise waters. The historic bathhouse is currently under renovation. Mama Blaster and Younger Sister Blaster really enjoyed dipping our feet into the cool water flowing out of the pool to the creek on a hot day.
This historic marker is near the sidewalk to the Hancock Springs free flow pool.
From the Lower Colorado River Authority website:
"The natural artesian springs have drawn people to Lampasas County for centuries. Native Americans first discovered the mineral waters, and health-seeking settlers followed in the 1850s. Today, visitors can swim in a pool that is fed by the springs.
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Hancock Park
This 109-acre city park includes Hancock Springs Free Flow Pool, one of the few free-flow pools in the state that is fed by a natural spring. These springs drew many health-seeking tourists in the late 1800s, but had been in use long before the area was settled. A marker in Hancock Park shows where a bathhouse was built for steam baths. The park also includes Hancock Park Golf Course, an 18-hole course that is set under old pecan trees along Sulphur Creek." [end]
Marker Number: 15389
Marker Text:
Pioneer settlers began establishing homes near Lampasas Springs and Sulphur Creek in the 1850s. During the middle 19th century, stories of the mineral springs and their curative powers began attracting tourists to Lampasas, which was sometimes called the “Saratoga of the South,” in reference to the famed New York spa community.
The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad extended its line to Lampasas in 1882, making travel to the area easier, and with the rail came capital investors who quickly built hotels and tourist facilities. In 1882, land at this site was sold from the John and George Hancock family to George L. Porter of Harris County who transferred the property to the Lampasas Springs Company. The company built a bathhouse here, creating changing rooms, facilities for hot and cold baths, and bathing pools for men and women. The company also erected the Grand Park Hotel, which was located northwest of the bathhouse. A mule-drawn streetcar connected the bathhouse with the passenger depot on the other side of town.
Sulphur Creek, which is fed by the springs, has flooded several times since construction of the bathhouse, and the roof of the facility was gone by 1920, possibly carried away by floodwaters. However, the limestone walls remained. In 1936, the city purchased the land and used the springs to supply water to the community. The turquoise waters of the pool, now part of a city park, demonstrate Lampasas’ history as a tourist destination. The springs were once the foundation of the economy in Lampasas and are now historical treasures of the community. The city, in an effort to preserve this history, stabilized the remaining bathhouse walls in 2003. (2004)
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Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.
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