Bathhouses and Treatments in Sharon Springs NY

by Sandra Manko

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About this Event

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Sharon Springs was once internationally famous as a health spa.  This small Village with its unique history was renowned for its mineral waters.  There were many disastrous events that led up to the decline of the spa.  There was the failure of the hops industry, the Great Depression, WWI & WWII, Prohibition, many, huge local fires.  All of these things led to the demise of the spa.  However, in spite of these obstacles, new facilities were still being built - hotels, bathhouses, and boarding houses.  Crowds of people were still coming to take the waters and have the treatments.

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The presentation, "Bathhouses & Treatments" describes the bathhouses built to accommodate the increasing number of visitors, as well as the treatments prescribed for a wide variety of ailments.  Patients gathered here from around the world and were treated for arthritic and rheumatic conditions, infantile paralysis, neuritis, cardiac disease, colitis, gallbladder, kidney & stomach troubles, bronchitis, hay fever, catarrh, skin troubles, nervous ailments, weight loss - you name it!  If you had something - anything - we had a cure for it at Sharon Springs.  Doctors and their patients believed that anything smelling as foul and tasting as vile as the mineral waters had to be good for one.
 

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Join Sharon Historical Society Vice President Sandra Manko as she talks about the Bathhouses in Sharon Springs, NY and various mineral treatments. Sandy is an active member of the Sharon Historical Society and has authored or co-authored 9 books about Sharon’s local history as well as written several historical articles for various publications. She is serving her 14th year as Sharon Town Supervisor and represents the Town of Sharon on the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors.