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Automotive Traveler Magazine: 2013 02 Bedford Springs Hotel Page 2

At one time, the well-to-do were the only ones who could afford a vacation. Rich folks would pack up the carriage and travel to a grand resort where they relaxed with other rich folks within several days' travel from home. As planes, trains, and automobiles brought us closer together geographically, such luxurious destinations fell out of favor, in many cases becoming neglected white elephants losing out to more exotic international locations.

One such resort sits quietly in a valley in south-central Pennsylvania. Just south of the rural town of Bedford sits the village of Bedford Springs, named for its unusual conglomeration of seven different water sources. Believed for hundreds of years to have medicinal value, the springs were discovered by Native Americans and include iron, sulfur, limestone, magnesia, "sweet," "black," and "pure."

As the story goes, a local physician named Dr. John Anderson purchased the property in 1798. His idea was to build a place for his patients to bathe in the "healing waters." By 1809, the property had three buildings: lodging, bathing, and even billiards. The Bedford Springs continued to expand during the 19th century, with enthusiastic visitors including the only Pennsylvania-born U.S. president, James Buchanan. Buchanan even used the resort as his summer White House during his term.

Over the past 214 years, the Bedford Springs Hotel has marked a number of significant events in U.S. history. The first trans-Atlantic cable was received by President Buchanan in August 1858 at the hotel. Seven (future, sitting, or former) presidents have visited the resort, most recently then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. One of the first indoor pools in America was opened here in 1905. The U.S. Supreme Court held hearings only once outside the nation's capital--in 1855 at the Bedford Springs Hotel.

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