When William Shanks received a grant of 595 acres of land on Indian Creek in 1787, it most likely never occurred to him that one day his land would become this site of a noted Southern resort. One spring - Sweet Sulphur Spring was discovered about 1803 and Salt Sulphur was discovered in 1805.

Ervin Benson bought the land in 1797 and two early guests, Issac Caruthers and William Erskine, ended up marrying Benson's daughters. The two brothers-in-law took over the operation of the new resort and in the coming decades built it into one of the most popular of its time, along with Red, White, Sweet and Hot Springs.

Because of the popularity of Salt Sulphur Springs, the two brothers-in-law decided to expand. They build an elegant hotel on a ridge above the valley and called it Erskine House. It was 206 by 45 feet and contained 72 rooms. Salt Sulphur Springs lies in a rather shallow ravine with Indian Creek cutting through it. Besides Sweet and Salt Springs, a third existed there called Iodine Spring and all three were used to the benefit of visitors as a remedy for "chronic diseases of the brain" such as "headaches, incipient mania and local palsy dependent upon congestion or chronic inflammation." There were also cures for neuralgia and other ailments of the day.

During the Civil War the resort was used as a rest area and after the war, the resort remained closed. In 1882 Col. J.W.M. Appleton became manager and the resort was upgraded and regained some of its past glory. After Appleton's death in 1913, the springs closed, the property was sold to P.E. Holz of Charleston, West Virginia, who failed to make a comeback. The resort closed for the final time.

The major attraction of spas in the early days was that the waters held the promise of a cure to both minor and major ailments, in a day and time when medical science could offer little hope.

If a person did not need a cure, there was the social side of the coin. Spas were the "in-places" of their day and gathering places for the socially elite. Spas often had race courses, ballrooms for dances, billiards tables, ten-pen alleys and many other acceptable social offerings of the day. Much more time was probably spent eating huge meals, drinking juleps, dancing and such, than were ever spent in the medicinal waters. The development of the railroad also played a large part in the rise of popularity in spas in the mountains, because people could travel to them conveniently.

In 1990 the Salt Sulphur Spring Spas Resort re-opened its doors. The entire resort was basically rebuilt on the foundation of the old one. The Spas Resort of today is a modern establishment fully equipped resort, able to fullfill all your desires and needs.

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