Calendar of Events
Genealogy
School Programs
Exhibits
Membership
Adult Classes
Collections Database
Gift Shop

 Photo of the Month

November 2002

Object ID:  1990.043.0002

Photographer:  Unknown

Date:  1941

Burton F. Coons wearing his La Salle uniform.  Photo taken in front of Hyde Franklin Springs, Malta Avenue, Ballston Spa.

The Hyde-Franklin Spring was discovered in 1868, after Benjamin Franklin appeared to Samuel Hide at a séance and told him where to bore for a " . . . spring of remarkable medicinal value which would be 'for the healing of the nations.'"  Indeed, in April 1869 water was found after drilling 715 feet in the ground.  This spring was used for the commercial production of bottled spring water and many items relating to the spring survive in the object collection of Brookside Museum.  The water was said to possess the greatest concentration of mineral salts of all the springs in the Saratoga area.  It was said to aid sufferers of stomach, liver, and kidney disorders, as well as relieve arthritis and rheumatism.

The building that housed the Hide-Franklin Spring, seen in the background of this photograph, was designed by Fred S. Streever of Ballston Spa, and was circular in form.  Made of concrete and stone, it also had a cupola roofed with copper.  The modest drink hall was known as the Cryptozoon Room as the stone featured fossils.  Sadly, it was razed in 1958.

The La Salle Institute, a Catholic school for boys in grades 6-12, is located in Troy, New York.

Sources consulted:

Edward F. Grose, Centennial History of the Village of Ballston Spa (Ballston Spa, NY:  The Ballston Journal, 1907), p. 64.

Vertical Files, Brookside Museum.

Gift of Mary Coons

Photos of the Month Index