Cohutta Springs (West)

Cohutta Springs as a town is no longer extant. Historically, the community of Cohutta Springs covered a broad area from south and east of modern-day Cisco, Georgia, to north and east of modern-day Crandall, Georgia. On maps from 1836 to about 1900, the area is marked either Cohutta Springs or Cohutta Springs P.O., and it lies on a road that ran between Spring Place, Georgia, to an area east of Cleveland, Tennessee, and on up to Charleston, Tennessee. Today it would be located on Georgia Highway 225, near the intersection of Hall's Chapel Road and Georgia Highway 2. There are several other small communities dotted throughout the area, each with its own unofficial place name (no longer receiving mail via the place name, but sometimes still called by its old, traditional place name). Some old maps have two separate spots designated as "Cohutta Springs." Other maps have one or the other, but not both. Our blog features both areas, and will usually try to differentiate by saying "east" or "west."

Cohutta Springs (West):
This post features Cohutta Springs (west), near the location of Oakwood Plantation, once known as Waterhouse's Mill and house. The area is designated in various ways in census. In 1870 Census, the area is designated as 874th Militia District, with the Post Office designated as "Cohutta Springs" in 1860 and "Spring Place" in 1870 (showing how mail delivery changed depending on which post office was available). In 1880, the area is part of the Tenth District, no. 874. On property deeds, the area is designated as Tenth District, 3rd Section, Murray County, Georgia (or sometimes, Tenth District, 3rd Section, originally Cherokee, now Murray County). It would be interesting to know whether the residents of this area actually referred to it as "Cohutta Springs." Callaway Campbell did, and used the post office as his mailing address. But clearly, the resort area, five miles away, was also called Cohutta Springs. Other place names for the area, depending on the exact vicinity of the land and which mailing route is in use, are Cisco, Georgia, and Crandall, Georgia (though the actual town of Crandall is some miles away, and is closer to the other Cohutta Springs).

Cohutta Springs (east)

This blog includes two communities, both of which were known as Cohutta Springs. This post describes Cohutta Springs (east).

Cohutta Springs (east) is the location of an old historic mineral springs. It was a resort area featuring a hotel, boarding houses, cabins, and accessible mineral springs, thought to be of medicinal value. There were doctors and pharmacists there at various times. In the 1860s, Myra Inman, of Cleveland, Tennessee, summered there. Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, once stayed there. It is near the old Summerour Chapel. Later, there was Old Summerour Methodist Church; and now, Amazing Grace Baptist Church. The history of the area is evident in the names of the cemeteries and streets. Amazing Grace Baptist Church is now the only church on Summerour Church Road. The Summerour Methodist Cemetery is across from there, and Old Summerour Cemetery is just east/northeast of there, across the railroad tracks. Summerour Church Road runs into Cohutta Springs Road. Both roads intersect U.S. Highway 411 on the west.

Cohutta Springs Road leads to the old mineral springs area, which is now on private property. Cohutta Springs Conference Center, owned by the Georgia Cumberland Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, owns part of the land near there. The mill ruins may be on their property. The property on the south side of the road, where the old hotel ruins are, is owned by other neighbors.

Cohutta Springs in the 1870s

Murray County had not seen a major battle on its soil during the Civil War. Perhaps part of the reason is that the railroad had not yet been built down to Murray. Times were difficult after the War. Even so, Cohutta Springs must have still been popular as a resort and watering place, if this Atlanta physician found it desirable to summer there and treat patients.

"Dr. W.A. Hooten of Atlanta, Georgia, will spend the summer at these Springs, and treat Chronic Diseases in all forms, especially the Eye."

Possibly, Dr. Hooten planned to treat, or perhaps capitalize on, sore eyes, a disease that was prevalent during the Civil War. Jacob Headrick, of the "other" Cohutta Springs (west) had suffered from sore eyes, a contagious disease that broke out in camp and spread among the soldiers.

These mineral springs were in the area of Cohutta Springs (east), northeast of the old Summerour Chapel.

[Source: Advertisement from the Atlanta Journal, July 16, 1873.]