Excelsior Springs, Missouri

Excelsior Springs, Missouri is a historic city straddling Clay and Ray counties in the Northland, founded in 1880 after the discovery of mineral springs with purported healing properties. It quickly became a major health resort destination in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, attracting visitors from across the country to drink and bathe in its waters. The iconic Hall of Waters remains a landmark of that era.

Boundaries

Excelsior Springs is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Kansas City, along the Fishing River, straddling the Clay-Ray county line.¹

• North: Rural Ray County areas
• South: Toward Liberty and the more developed southern Northland
• East: Fishing River valley
• West: Toward Kearney and other Clay County Northland communities

The city has a distinct historic downtown core surrounded by residential areas and some modern development.

History

Pre-founding and discovery (1880)

Evidence of human presence along the Fishing River dates back at least 5,000 years (Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian periods). In 1880, the area that became downtown Excelsior Springs was largely wheat fields.² A reddish-brown spring water was noticed flowing from the banks of the Fishing River.

Siloam Spring was the first major mineral spring discovered — the only natural supply of ferro-manganese mineral water in the United States and one of only five known worldwide.² Local accounts hold that farmer Travis Mellion’s daughter, suffering from scrofula (a form of tuberculosis), was cured after drinking and bathing in the waters, sparking widespread interest in the “healing” properties of the springs.²¹

Health resort era (1880s–1920s)

Word spread rapidly. The town was formed around the springs in 1880, when landowners J.V.D. Flack and Anthony Wyman partnered on August 17, 1880, to plat the community.¹ By the late 1880s and early 1900s, Excelsior Springs had developed into a prominent health and spa resort. More than 40 mineral water wells and springs were eventually identified, in four distinct varieties of water.²

Visitors included presidents, gangsters, and everyday people seeking cures for various ailments. The town built hotels, bathhouses, and related infrastructure. The period from roughly 1888 to 1929 is often cited as its most prolific era.

20th century and modern era

In 1936–1938, the city undertook a major Public Works Administration project: the Hall of Waters, an Art Deco building designed by the Kansas City firm Keene & Simpson that became the centerpiece of the resort experience.²¹ It housed the world’s longest mineral water bar and facilities for processing and bottling water from ten of the springs.² The building still serves as city hall today and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.¹³

While the health resort industry declined after World War II with changing medical practices, Excelsior Springs retained its historic character. The Hall of Waters, the Excelsior Springs Museum & Archives — housed in the former Clay County State Bank building (the bank was established in 1894; its Louis S. Curtiss-designed building opened February 28, 1906) — and a charming downtown continue to draw visitors interested in history and small-town atmosphere.⁴

Today the city has a population of 10,553 (2020 census) and balances residential life with heritage tourism, agriculture, and light manufacturing.¹

Architecture + built environment

Excelsior Springs has one of the most intact historic downtowns in the broader Northland. Key landmarks include:

• The Hall of Waters (1936–38, Art Deco / Depression Modern, PWA project; National Register ref. 83000977, listed June 9, 1983) — the most iconic building.¹³
• The Clay County State Bank building (completed 1906 for the bank founded in 1894; architect Louis S. Curtiss) — now home to the museum.⁴
• Numerous late 19th- and early 20th-century commercial buildings along Broadway and surrounding streets, within the Hall of Waters Commercial East and West Historic Districts (National Register, listed May 27, 1999).³
• The Elms Hotel and Spa — historic resort hotel; the present building opened in 1912 after two predecessors burned, and was listed on the National Register on March 29, 1985.¹³

The downtown retains a strong sense of its resort-town past.

Demographics + community

Excelsior Springs maintains a distinct identity as a historic resort town turned residential community. It attracts both locals from the KC metro and heritage tourists. The community has worked to preserve its unique mineral water and resort history while adapting to modern needs.

Notable people associated with this neighborhood

• Travis Mellion, the farmer whose daughter’s reported cure at Siloam Spring sparked the town’s founding, and town founders J.V.D. Flack and Anthony Wyman.¹
• Civic leaders who developed the Hall of Waters project during the New Deal era.
• Various visitors over the decades (presidents and notable figures stayed at the resorts).

Notable businesses (historic + present)

Historic

• Early hotels, bathhouses, and sanatoriums tied to the mineral water boom.
• The original spring houses and bottling operations.

Present-day (strong historic downtown dining scene)

Excelsior Springs has a notable concentration of independent restaurants and bars in its historic downtown, many occupying beautifully restored buildings:

• Ray’s Lunch — Classic diner established in 1932. Famous for hamburgers, Ray Miller’s original chili recipe, hand-breaded tenderloins and catfish, and fresh cinnamon rolls baked daily. Still cooks on Ray Miller’s cast-iron flat top. A living snapshot of small-town counter dining.⁵
• Ventana Gourmet Grill — Upscale yet casual restaurant and wine bar in a historic downtown storefront at 117 W. Broadway, serving Excelsior Springs since 2002. Known for an extensive wine list and fine dining in a restored historic space.⁶
• Willow Spring Mercantile — Highly rated establishment featured in the local tourism eateries directory.⁷
• The Springs — Family-owned spot serving home-style American food in the historic district.⁷
• Other downtown options include The Mug (coffee/café), Broadway Bar & Grill, and Atlas Saloon (historic bar).

The downtown dining scene is one of the stronger and most historic in the Northland, making it a destination for both day-trippers and locals.

Monuments + public art in this neighborhood

• Hall of Waters (major civic and architectural landmark).³
• Excelsior Springs Museum & Archives.⁴
• Historic markers throughout downtown related to the springs and resort era.
• The Elms Hotel and other preserved resort-era structures.³

Fountains in this neighborhood

The mineral springs themselves (Siloam and others) were the original “fountains” of fame.² The Hall of Waters features elaborate water features as part of its design. Specific modern public fountains are secondary to this heritage.

Annual events + traditions

The community hosts events celebrating its resort heritage, including tours of the Hall of Waters, museum programs, and downtown festivals. The historic character supports ongoing heritage tourism.

Cultural significance

Excelsior Springs is the clearest example in the Northland of a 19th-century health resort town. Its mineral springs created a unique chapter in regional history that brought national attention to the area in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The survival of the Hall of Waters and much of the downtown fabric makes it an important cultural and architectural asset for the entire Kansas City region — one that is still frequently overlooked outside of local history circles.

Restrictive covenant + redlining history

As a resort town with later residential development, specific housing pattern research would benefit from deeper Clay/Ray County and local archives.

Boundaries with adjacent neighborhoods

• South/West: Toward Kearney and the broader Clay County Northland.
• North/East: Rural Ray County and the Fishing River valley.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Wikipedia — “Excelsior Springs, Missouri”: Clay and Ray counties, ~30 miles northeast of Kansas City, Flack-Wyman partnership of August 17, 1880, Travis Mellion discovery account, Keene & Simpson design, Elms Hotel history (present building 1912), 2020 census population 10,553 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. Visit Excelsior Springs (official tourism site) — “Excelsior History”: 1880 wheat fields, Siloam Spring as first discovery and only U.S. ferro-manganese water, Travis Mellion cure account, 40+ wells and springs in four water varieties, Hall of Waters 1936–38 PWA project, world’s longest mineral water bar ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Missouri State Parks / Missouri SHPO — Missouri National Register Listings, Clay County: Hall of Waters, 201 E. Broadway, listed 6/09/1983; Elms Hotel, listed 3/29/1985; Excelsior Springs Hall of Waters Commercial East and West Historic Districts, listed 5/27/1999 — Hall of Waters record detail (ref. 83000977): npgallery.nps.gov ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

4. Excelsior Springs Museum & Archives — “Our History”: Clay County State Bank established May 9, 1894; Louis S. Curtiss-designed building opened February 28, 1906; museum chartered December 1967, acquired the bank and adjacent Francis Hotel buildings in 2004. (Some third-party listings misdate the building to 1894, conflating it with the bank’s founding.) ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Visit Excelsior Springs — “Ray’s Lunch” eatery listing: established 1932; Ray Miller’s original chili and hamburger recipes on his cast-iron flat top; hand-breaded tenderloins and catfish; cinnamon rolls baked daily ↩

6. Ventana Gourmet Grill — official site: serving Excelsior Springs since 2002; 117 W. Broadway Ave.; historic dining room and extensive wine list ↩

7. Visit Excelsior Springs — Eateries directory (Willow Spring Mercantile, The Springs, and other downtown establishments) ↩ ↩²