| When Milwaukee real-estate agent John Weber purchased a 87 acre plot on the northern side of Waukesha, he did not expect that it would eventually lead to a mud bath and health resort. Yet a conversation with German Doctor William Beckers, who was familiar with the mud baths in Germany, led him to investigate whether the black Moor which covered his property could serve the same purpose as the famous European Baths. |  A Mud Bath |
The Grand View Health Resort
| After an analysis from Marquette University Prof. William Sommers and a trip to Germany, the decision was made, the plans were drawn, and the Grand View Health Resort was built. The thirty-room hotel and resort opened Feb. 22, 1911. Weber's son, John Jr. was called up from Chicago to help manage the resort as it quickly grew in popularity. Andrew J. Frame, and two other Waukesha residents planed and financed the addition of a 9 hole golf course in 1919. By then a 30 room addition to the main building had already been made to accommodate the growing number of customers. | In 1916, John Jr. patented a new type of couch for the mud baths. Made from terra cotta, this new utility was heated and made cleanup much easier. The Moor Mud Baths continued to grow, adding yet another wing in 1921 and a lady’s bath department in 1926. One final addition to the building was made in 1928, consisting of an east wing. |  The New Terra Cotta Baths | By then, the baths had grown to 108 rooms and a capability to accept 200 visitors a day. Improvements through out the entire building were made to include electric lighting, and new steam-heating equipment. 
The Resort's Lobby
| Then, in 1929, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression struck the entire country, Waukesha included. The Grand View Health Resort was forced to refocus its attention on attracting wealthy Chicago visitors. At that point, the baths took a decidedly flamboyant turn, becoming known for slot machines and poker, as well as the traditional golf, baths and massages. | In 1946, John Webber Jr. retired from managing the Moor Mud Baths. In 1950 the property was sold to the Salvation Brothers of New York, who turned it into a college. Finally, in November of 1972, the building that once housed the famous Moor Mud Baths was purchased by the government, and refurbished into the County Office Building. |
