Spend a few hours in Mineral Wells, and you'll probably hear about the "crazy water." It's a phenomenon that dates back to the 1800s.
"When a lady came to our town, who was supposedly a little demented, and after drinking the water for a period of time, she was cured of her crazies," explained Carol Elder, owner of the Famous Water Company.
The people who drink the mineral water, swear by it.
"I crave it, yes," customer Jennifer Watkins said. "I have healthier skin and hair and nails."
Newspaper clippings from the 1930s show story after story of people who claim the "crazy water" cured them of various aliments, like rheumatism, stomach trouble and indigestion.
"We can't give any kind of medical claim on the water, we don't give any medical claims on the water," Elder said. "For most people it's just grassroots."
Elder bought the company 15 years ago.
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The water is drawn from two different wells on site. One is deeper than than the other. The shallower well has twice the amount of minerals, and it pumps out one of the strongest mineral waters bottled anywhere in the world.
You can taste the difference between the four different waters they offer, and locals say you can feel the difference, too.
"Well, I think it just makes you feel better all over," said Maurice Manley.
Business is so good, the Famous Water Company is expanding.
In May an old warehouse just blocks form the original wells will become a new bottling hub, and they'll produce carbonated water in glass bottles for the first time.
"You know, as long as we're supposed to be here, we'll have water," Elder said. "When the well runs dry, it's time to move on."
