1.  Why did Benajah Douglas build the hotel in 1792?
2.  Look at the watercolor of of the hotel painted by William Strickland in 1794.  How does the building and its surroundings differ from the picture of Brookside Museum today?  (Link to Intro)
3.  Why did Ballston Spa decline as a resort community in the 1830s?
4.  When did Aldridge's Hotel close?

1.  Make a drawing of Aldridge's Hotel as it looked in 1800. Use the description and the drawing on this page to help you.  Make a bulletin board display of these drawings.  How similar and how different are the drawings?  Discuss with your classmates.
2.  Look at the floor plans of Aldridge's in 1800.  Make a list of the room names that are not familiar to you.  What do you think these rooms were used for and what would they be named today?
3.  Using the Northern Traveler, name three hotels in Ballston Spa in 1825 and tell how much it cost to board (stay) at the hotel for a week.  What "first" did Aldridge's have?  Describe the land surrounding Aldridge's.
4.  Use the fact sheet on the mineral springs for the following:  
What is mineral water?  Why did the mineral water in Ballston Spa have the most minerals?  
Have you ever tasted mineral water?  What did it taste like?  
Visit a mineral spring in Ballston Spa or Saratoga Springs and taste the water.  Describe in detail the area around the spring (building, how water comes to the surface, etc.) and the taste of the water.  Even if you don't like the taste of the mineral water, would you drink it if you believed that it would cure a disease or ailment?
5.  Using the picture and description of the Iron Railing Spring, make a drawing of the spring as it looked in 1815.  How was the Iron Railing Spring different from the spring you visited?