Esculapia Springs was the site of one of the most popular health resorts along the Ohio River from 1845 to 1860, seven miles west. Mineral water from the spring was widely used for medicinal purposes. The resort was easy to reach by boat and drew many out-of-state guests until it was destroyed by fire in 1860. Use of the spring water declined afterward. Twenty other antebellum watering places flourished in Kentucky.