Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 36°31′57″N 85°50′59″W / 36.5325°N 85.84972°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Macon |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.4 sq mi (3.7 km2) |
| - Land | 1.4 sq mi (3.7 km2) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 771 ft (235 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 1,023 |
| - Density | 719.8/sq mi (277.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 37150 |
| Area code(s) | 615 |
| FIPS code | 47-62000[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1299039[2] |
Red Boiling Springs is a city in Macon County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,023 at the 2000 census.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Red Boiling Springs is located at 36°31′57″N 85°50′59″W / 36.5325°N 85.84972°W (36.532509, -85.849742)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.7 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,023 people, 404 households, and 252 families residing in the city. The population density was 719.8 people per square mile (278.2/km²). There were 457 housing units at an average density of 321.6/sq mi (124.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.14% White, 0.29% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.
There were 404 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 75.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,868, and the median income for a family was $28,333. Males had a median income of $26,313 versus $16,842 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,274. About 18.4% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.2% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
[edit] Founding
The area was originally known as Salt Lick Creek due to a salt lick that was located nearby, approximately four miles northwest of current day Red Boiling Springs. The salt lick attracted animals, and, in turn, attracted Native Americans as well as other peoples. Among the people who came to hunt the animal trails was Daniel Boone, who reportedly carved his name and the year, 1775, into a beech tree in a nearby community.[4]
The area was first surveyed and land grants were first awarded in the mid 1780s. The first post office was established in 1829 and was named the Salt Lick Creek post office. In 1847, the post office was renamed to the Red Boiling Springs Post Office.[4]
[edit] Tourist attraction
In the late 1870's, Nashville newspapers first started mentioning Red Boiling Springs and its hotels. The town first made the Nashville newspapers' front pages when former Tennessee Governor John C. Brown died of a hemorrhage there. The papers put emphasis that due to the isolation of the town and a lack of a telephone or telegraph, there was no way to get help.[5]
In the early 1900s, Red Boiling Springs began enjoying tremendous popularity as a mineral water resort, with its peak occurring in the first quarter of the 20th century, when it was visited by many famous personages. The hotel registers included the names of mayors, judges, lawyers, heads of business and industry, famous musicians and singers, governors and most notably President Woodrow Wilson.
Almost uniquely, five different types of mineral waters occur there.[5] Some were named for the color they would turn a silver coin; two, dubbed "Red" and "Black", were from springs which were capped off and then piped throughout the town to a series of wells with manually-operated pumps on both public and private property. The flavor of the "Red" water was only somewhat sulfurous and seemed to be at least slightly agreeable to many; the "Black" was very-strongly flavored, off-putting to the novice, and an acquired taste (at best) for most. "White" was used only to cure dyspepsia. Oddly enough, "Freestone" contained none of the trace minerals that brought the crowds to the springs but it was by far the most palatable. "Double and Twist" was named for the effect it had on the person drinking it. "Double and Twist" was advertised as the "only water of its kind in the United States".[6]
"Taking the waters" at Red Boiling Springs generally consisted of more than merely ingesting them; steam and tub baths featuring the waters and their alleged therapeutic properties were often featured. The various waters contained several minerals but sulfur was predominant, giving the waters the scent (and some would say, the flavor) of rotten eggs. There were medical doctors on hand to prescribe which treatments would work for a particular ailment.
As early as the 1840s the commercial potential of the "boiling" springs was realized by Samuel Hare, who began developing the area as a "watering place" but the Civil War halted progress. In the 1880s New York Businessman James F. O. Shaugnesy began development of the area as a resort.[7] In 1918 there were four hotels in town; a decade later that number doubled and soon after, over a dozen hotels and at least that many boarding houses had been erected to take advantage of tourism. An advertising brochure claimed "sickness among the year 'round residents is practically an unknown thing."[8]
The area's relative remoteness proved a boon in a way, in that visitors, once having made the then-considerable effort required to arrive, were likely to stay for at least several days or even weeks. By the early 1900s visitors could arrive by train at Carthage or Hartsville, then be met by "modern" taxi cabs to drive the remaining distance over windy, dirt roads. Eventually, the remoteness would be among the causes of the resort's decline.
As the resort grew, it became the stopping point for minstrel shows, circuses and other entertainments to a far greater degree than typical for towns of its small size. The town boasted a number of "diversions": bowling alleys, tennis courts, shuffle board, croquet, a ballroom, swimming pools, a small golf course, theatre, and an amusement park. The hotels also provided picnics and barbecues.
Although the Great Depression destroyed many Americans' disposable incomes and hence budget for travel Red Boiling Springs still had large numbers of people visit. The summer of 1936 brought over 14,000 people to the little hamlet of approximatley 800. [9]
[edit] Decline
Several factors contributed to the town's decline as a major resort. One was a general loss of confidence and interest in the purportedly curative powers of mineral waters by Americans as the 20th century progressed. A new highway system made it easier for people to travel, but it also meant they could travel to other places as well, such as the state parks that were opening. Those who had promoted tourism and the mineral resorts had retired or died and the next generation was not as interested. Some of the hotels had been left in the hands of managers that did not reinvest the profits in the upkeep of the buildings. A number of the hotels burned and were not rebuilt. The townspeople were hesitant to support tourism. The area's general remoteness began to work against it; this was greatly aggravated by World War II and the resultant gasoline rationing. Tourism focus shifted within Tennessee to more highly-developed areas such as the Smoky Mountains.
By the time the postwar period had arrived, most of the hotels had closed and the area was a shell of its former self. There was a slight rebirth during the 1950s. The town was incorporated on April 27, 1953.[4] A booster club was formed, two of the hotels were restored and new attractions were added. A drive-in billed as the only one of its kind in Middle Tennessee outside of Nashville joined the local theatre. By the early '60s only five hotels remained, then, by the end of the decade, it was back down to three.[5]
[edit] The flood
At 3:30 AM on the morning of June 23, 1969, it started raining. A newspaper reported that by 6:00 AM, the water had risen "about 5 feet above maximum flood level".[10] In six hours the entire Salt Lick Valley was under water. An unofficial report stated that 10 inches of rain fell in 6 hours.[11] Overall, 15 businesses and 35 houses were either heavily damaged or destroyed, and a Trailways bus had been swept approximately 500 feet into a steel-concrete bridge. Whole houses and many cars floated through town. Two young girls were killed in the flood. One was not found until four days later after being swept 4 miles downstream.[10]
State and Federal grant money aided businesses, built watershed dams and help the townsfolk rebuild. By the late 1970s the town began to revisit its history in earnest with an eye to marketing it a tourist destination again, if only on a small scale. Two covered bridges were built, and park lands were developed. Later, a library was built on the site of a former hotel.
[edit] Present day
At the beginning of the 21st century, a large water bottling plant was built on the outskirts of town by Nestlé, where water is bottled from Bennet Hill Springs, a source of Freestone water. Ironically, the plant removes all the natural minerals from the water by reverse osmosis and later adds a specific mixture of minerals to give it a consistent taste.
The old hand pumps that stood on public land were made inoperable because of liability issues that could occur. The hand pumps can still be seen on private property around town, and some people still believe in the curative powers of the mineral waters.
In 2008, three of the historic hotels were in operation, with The Armour Hotel still offering a full complement of steam treatment, mineral tub baths, and therapeutic massage.
[edit] Education
Red Boiling Springs School is a K-12 public institution that is overseen by the Macon County School System. It has 671 total students and 41 teachers, making a student-teacher ratio of 1:16.[12]
The school offers the following sports:[13]
[edit] Festivals and attractions
The town is home to several annual events. The Donoho Hotel hosts the annual Red Boiling Spring Bluegrass Festival on the first Friday and Saturday in June. The event is for both professional and "shade tree pickers".
One of the biggest annual festivals in Tennessee, The Summer Solstice, attracts around 2,000 people every year for 3 days of camping out on an organic farm listening to live music, and eating fresh organic food. Marked by the 1st day of summer and longest day of the year the celebration is usually put off until the following weekend.
The Middle Tennessee chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America holds their antique car show in Red Boiling Springs each year. The event is always scheduled for the first Friday and Saturday after Labor Day and held on the lawn of The Thomas House Hotel. This event has been held for over 50 years.
How'd Dey Do Dat? Day is held the second Saturday in October. It is a rural heritage celebration held just outside of city limits on the Ritter Farm with demonstrations of "old time skills", i.e. blacksmith shop, grist mill, horse drawn equipment, quilting, candle making.
Red Boiling Springs is also home to Tennessee's only motorcycle museum, Cyclemos, which holds an annual Show and Old School Swap Meet that draws thousands of visitors and bikes.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b c http://www.redboilingspringstn.com/history.htm
- ^ a b c National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Early Twentieth Century Resort Buildings of Red Boiling Springs, 1986
- ^ Bellar, Jim: "Red Boiling Springs The Tradition Lives. Macon County Times Publishing Company, 1981
- ^ Tennessee Historical Society[1]
- ^ "Red Boiling Springs" promotional booklet, 1924.
- ^ "Good Times - Vacationing at Red Boiling Springs" , Jeanette Keith in Rural Life and Culture in the Upper Cupperland, The University Press of Kentucky, 2004
- ^ a b http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bna/research/flood_1969.htm
- ^ http://kyclim.wku.edu/factSheets/rec6hrRain.htm Retrieved 2008-05-28
- ^ http://www.publicschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/74315
- ^ http://www.redboilingspringsschool.com/sports.htm
[edit] External links
- Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee is at coordinates 36°31′57″N 85°50′59″W / 36.532509°N 85.849742°WCoordinates: 36°31′57″N 85°50′59″W / 36.532509°N 85.849742°W
|
|||||||||||
