But the final nail in the coffin for Vishnu Springs came with the most horrible tragedy of all…the suicide of Darius Hicks.ĭarius hired a housekeeper named Nellie Darrah after leaving Vishnu Springs to care for his two young children ever a lover of women, Darius soon became romantically involved with her, and in 1908 Nellie became pregnant. These double tragedies, paired with the already existing scandal of Darius's love life, caused the man who had loved this place to take his children and turn his back on the town he had struggled so hard to build. That was the last day the carousel ever ran. Somehow, the operator's shirt sleeve became tangled in the gears of the carousel and he was pulled into them and crushed to death in front of the children. One summer day, it was filled with children as usual, carefully watched over by its operator who supervised their play and made sure that the horse that turned the gears continued to walk. The final blow was a gruesome accident involving the horse-drawn carousel, also in 1903.
Things only worsened, and in 1903, Maud gave birth to their third child, a daughter…but sadly, both she and the baby died during the delivery. Because of this, Darius was shunned by several members of his community. Her mother, Hattie, had died just the year before from illnesses that had been plaguing her, and while not incestuous, Darius and Maud's marriage was seen as taboo and highly improper. The trouble began in 1897 when Darius married wife number three…his stepdaughter, Maud Rush, who was twenty-six years his junior. The beautiful Capitol Hotel in its prime. There were never more than about thirty homes in the area, and an impending scandal and tragedy would be the final blow that would begin Vishnu Springs' descent into downfall. There was also a horse-drawn carousel upon the hotel grounds, a croquet court, a large pond with goldfish, and many other delights that travelers who sought the spring's healing powers could entertain themselves with.Īlthough the town was growing, and had two stores, a restaurant, a livery stable and blacksmith shop, and even a photo gallery, the harsh Midwestern winters and lack of railroad connection kept the little hamlet from ever becoming anything more than a seasonal resort. The first structure to be built, the Capitol Hotel towered to a height of three stories and boasted such amenities as running water and an elevator to the third floor ball room.
The jewel of his efforts can still be seen today, although it no longer shines as it did in its former glory…the Capitol Hotel. Naming the place Vishnu, Darius undertook his dream to build a thriving town and health resort. The early pioneers of history often believed that natural spring water could cure all sorts of ailments, as medicine in that day was scarce, and it wasn't long before Darius decided to try to cash in on the magical properties of the strange tasting waters found in the quiet, shady valley. When in his thirties, he inherited from his father a parcel of land upon which was located a natural spring. Without a man named Darius Hicks, the legend of Vishnu Springs would have never come to fruition born on May 5th in 1850, Darius was one of three children from a wealthy and successful family. Located in McDonough County, near the tiny little town of Tennessee, Illinois, this literal ghost town in a secluded valley is only accessible by a back country road that ends abruptly into a worn pathway through the forest, and it requires over a mile of walking to reach.
It's easy to understand why not many people know about Vishnu Springs, and why it is largely forgotten to time in fact, many people that live near the area it's located don't even know it's there. This location was investigated and documented by Heidi.
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