In a recent article in the New York Times, a man named Richard Leibowitz cited Sharon Springs as the ideal spa town. The West German government had paid reparations to Holocaust survivors and held that therapeutic spa vacations were a legitimate part of the medical package. Another Sharon Springs resident, Edward I. Koch, who would go on to be the mayor of New York City, was a busboy at the town's Adler Hotel in 1946.
Sharon Springs is located in Schoharie County, New York. The population was 547 at the 2000 census. The name came from the home of the town's first colonial settlers. Sharon Springs has important springs throughout the town, and the city is near some of the state's most popular attractions. Howe Caverns is just 15 miles to the south, the Mohawk River is 10 miles north, and the Adirondack Park is about one hour away.
The Imperial Bathhouse is located in Sharon Springs, and restoration of the historic bathhouse is uncertain. The historic bathhouses have been vacant for years. In 2008, the town welcomed a new hotel, the Imperial Bathhouse. The spa was to redevelop the bathhouse into a modern luxury spa, and to establish Sharon Springs as a spa destination in New York. While this was a great step forward for Sharon Springs, it has not gone far.
The town of Sharon Springs was settled around 1780 and was originally known as New Dorlach. Early settlers in the county were familiar with New Dorlach in Germany. The town also hosted the Battle of Sharon during the American Revolution. A small group of Colonials fought against Tories. After the first world war, the hops trade in New York declined as Oregon's hops were more viable. Prohibition also posed a challenge to the local hops industry, which caused the town to dissolve and become a city.