The hot mineral waters of Marlin have been curing the afflicted and maintaining the healthy for 120 years. Doris Scraggs has been visiting the public fountain for more than half of that time, and she is pretty spry.
“Anytime I get a cut or a sore, I come rinse it in the water for a few minutes for two or three days, and it heals in no time,” she said.
The city discovered the mineral water in 1892. The water was considered bad until its curative properties were discovered. By 1900, several bathhouses, spas, and hospitals were operating in town. Conrad Hilton opened his eighth hotel here.
The last bathhouse closed in the 1960s. “It was penicillin that did the bathhouses in,” Doris said. “Folks from up north didn’t need to come down here to get their VD cured.”
“Drink two glasses of the water a day and you’ll feel great,” she said. The 110-degree water comes out of spigots and flows into the marble basin with a high concentration of sodium and sulphates. “Just hold your nose and imagine you’re drinking chicken bullion,” Doris said with a laugh.
The Municipal Hygeia pavilion at 245 Coleman St. has provided free hot mineral water since 1903 on the site of the original artesian well. The Marlin visitors center is in a portion of the pavilion.
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This article appears in February 3 • 2012.