CENTRAL - A historic site off of Greenwell Springs Road has a long way to go before it's ready for visitors, but city leaders say they want to revitalize a nearly 200-year-old site for everyone to enjoy the community's rich history. 

Taking a step back in time could soon be as easy as walking down a couple of stairs into a concrete structure, built into the ground. 

The Greenwell Springs date back to the 1850s and were turned into a rural resort with ten medicinal springs on the property, according to historians. At the time, the springs were surrounded by a resort village and hotel.

"People would travel by horse and buggy from New Orleans, Lake Charles, all over the place to come here and bathe in the springs, which they had a bunch of chemists at the time say had healing qualities," Briton Myer, a Central councilmember, said.

The hotel eventually became a hospital during the Civil War and the Battle of Baton Rouge. Years later, it would be filled with swampy water and dead trees, forgotten with time. It was passed from BREC to the Central School System. Richard Venable oversees the land. 

"I was raised here and got a lot of stories from neighbors, family members, about the springs," Venable said.

Now, leaders say they want to bring the site back to its original glory. 

"This structure's been around for hundreds of years, and hopefully it will be around for hundreds more," Myer said.

Mayor of Central, Wade Evans, says they've already spent about $600,000 removing debris and restoring concrete that was original to the springs. Once they're able to get more money, he says the plan is to rebuild the site with visitation centers and provide historical information.

"I can envision it, access to the river, a kayak launch, picnic tables, a visitor center with the historic artifacts that we've collected," Myer said.

Leaders say it could be years before the site is completed.