Frankfort Mineral Springs

All healing medicinal springs in PA? Check. Remote town 30 miles from Pittsburgh? Check. Winter wonderland with amazing ice sculptures? Check. What is this place? It’s the Frankfort Mineral Springs, located in Raccoon Creek State Park.  Never heard of it, you say. Well I’m not surprised. In the 1800’s the area was the site of an upscale resort that boasted about the healing properties of the springs. There isn’t much recorded history on the springs, but it’s said that the Indians in the area knew of the springs and it’s healing powers, around the late 1700’s. The first recorded owner of the lands was Levi Dungan who claimed 1,000 acres. The lands have had several owners over the past 200 years. But only one owner realized the benefits of what he had, that was Edward McGinnis. McGinnis built what was known as the Frankfort House Hotel and Resort. The resort was an instant hit, with wealthy guests of the victorian era often staying months at a time. They enjoyed the healing properties of the springs to heal their aliments. The resort also boasted food farmed on-site and what couldn’t be grown, was locally sourced. Around 1884, the resort again changed hands. James Bigger bought the resort for $5,500. It was still a popular place with many travelers and long-terms guests. The construction workers working on route 18 stayed on site at the resort. It remained popular but fell to fire around the 1930’s. Nobody was hurt, but the site was destroyed. The cause of the fire was never stated officially, but unofficially it was blamed on a guest who did not properly use the wood burning stove in one of the guest rooms. The site could not be re-built due to the Great Depression. Around 1967 the State of Pennsylvania acquired the land, and proceeded to carve out Raccoon Creek State Park. Not all was lost of the resort, there was one remaining building. It was a guest cottage. It was turned into a museum housing artifacts of the springs. However, the museum fell quickly to vandalism. Today all of the artifacts are gone, but you can take the well hidden trail to the grotto where at any given time 2 springs still flow. It is said that the springs still carry their medicinal properties. I didn’t test that out on this day, but when I was there the steam was rising from the bowl that was created by the flowing water. It was a mere 8 degrees Fahrenheit, but I was able to take off my gloves and work freely with my hands. This was really a neat experience in this winter wonderland. The falls did not disappoint either. They created beautiful ice sculptures around the water, and the ice sickles hung all over the grotto. Everything was frozen, even me! My tripod, lenses, and camera were all frozen. I had the entire grotto to myself all morning. It was a quiet and peaceful place. I was able to work listening to the soft drops of water. I was intrigued by the shapes of the ice that was created by the flowing, dripping, and splashing water. It was a beautiful place to spend a cold morning. I can definitely see why the people flocked here from the city. This is a well hidden piece of Pennsylvania history, that I am happy is close to home!