BethesdaThe spring that started it all, the water the Colonel Richard Dunbar drank from still exists. Located in what is now Bethesda Park, the Octagonal concrete structure which surrounds the famous spring hides what has become a mangled mess of piping. Bethesda has seen better days.
As time progressed, however, all the vast extras faded away, and finally the most beautiful spring house ever built in Waukesha was torn down as well. Bethesda Spring went through several owners, however managed to remain open as a water bottling company for many years.
The long range plans of the Fox River Redevelopment Project call for, in very general terms, a cleanup and restructuring of Bethesda Springhouse. However, as of 1999, no specific proposals exist. |
At first, a single, square roof covered the spring, providing very little protection from the elements. Then, as Waukesha became the 
At its height, the spring property boasted of the central spring, around which was a massive, ornate roof with a curved roof and gold leafing. Around this were landscaped grounds with pools of water leading to the Fox River and hills with the word "Bethesda" carved in the side. All around were more spring houses, paths, potted plants, a large gateway, and the Terrace Hotel.
Purity Bottling Company, which owned the property a few years ago, was bought out by Beverage Enterprises Incorporated, a monster company based in Pennsylvania. When Beverage Enterprises filed for bankruptcy in 1997, it took all its smaller branches, including Purity Bottling, down with it. Today, the bottling plant sits vacant as creditors fight to regain their losses. And the spring house, once the crowning jewel in Waukesha's network of tourist attractions, stands unused, its pumping machinery silent for the first time in over a hundred years. Bethesda is perhaps the greatest mystery of all, for its final chapter remains to be written.