The history of home: then and now photographs of Cartersburg Springs

As we drive through the places we call home, it's easy to take the landscape for granted, overlooking the layers of history hidden in plain sight. Yet, with a little curiosity, we can uncover stories that reveal just how much "home" has transformed over time. Consider the history of the Cartersburg Magnetic Springs Resort in Hendricks County, Indiana. While many people are familiar with the famous mineral springs of French Lick and West Baden, few realize that Hendricks County once had its own thriving mineral springs resort during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Tucked in a meadow north of where the west fork of White Lick Creek meets Cartersburg Road, the mineral springs were well-known to both Native Americans and early settlers who began arriving in the early 1800s. Throughout the nineteenth century, stories of the spring water's curative properties spread, drawing more and more visitors.

By 1890, the springs were purchased, and construction began on the Cartersburg Magnetic Springs Resort. The completed resort offered a hotel, bathhouse, dining hall, bowling alley, billiard room, and even pools where the mineral water could flow—transforming the site into a local destination for both leisure and supposed healing.

The bathhouse at the Cartersburg Magnetic Springs Resort, c. 1900. The raised walkway ran west up a small hill to the resort hotel. Photograph courtesy of the Guilford Township Historical Collection; Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library.

Site of the bathhouse at Cartersburg Magnetic Springs Resort today. Author's photograph.

Throughout the 1890s and early 1900s, the springs and resort gained fame, drawing crowds of 3,000 to 4,000 people some weekends. It became especially popular with residents of Indianapolis seeking a peaceful escape from city life. Getting to the resort was easy for city dwellers: all it took was a quick train ride from Indianapolis to the town of Cartersburg, followed by a short one-mile trip north up Cartersburg Road.

One of the resort's most notable repeat visitors was Charles W. Fairbanks, along with his family. Fairbanks served as a U.S. Senator from Indiana (1897–1905) and later as Vice President of the United States under Theodore Roosevelt (1905–1909).

The hotel at the Cartersburg Magnetic Springs Resort c. 1900. Photograph courtesy of the Guilford Township Historical Collection; Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library.

Site of the hotel at Cartersburg Magentic Springs Resort today. Author's photograph.

The resort had a short life. Disaster struck in 1906 when a fire destroyed the bathhouse. This, coupled with a general decline in the popularity of mineral spring health resorts, eventually led to the closure of the Cartersburg Magnetic Springs Resort for good. However, the water from the springs continued to be bottled and sold long after the resort closed—up until 1973. Today, the site of the former health resort and springs is divided between two private properties.

A large crowd gathered at the Cartersburg Springs Resort c. 1900. Both the hotel and bathhouse can be seen, in addition to an unidentified building to the left. From from the Industrial Souvenir of Hendricks County, 1904.

The same view today. Author's photograph.

Very little physical evidence remains today that hints at the existence of the Cartersburg Magnetic Springs Resort. Although it no longer draws weekend crowds by the thousands, countless people who call the surrounding area home still pass by the location regularly, unaware of the unique history the landscape holds. Its story is a poignant reminder of how much the places we call home have changed over time.