History of Cohutta Springs: 09/11/12

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

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.]

Blog Purpose

The Cohutta Springs History blog is meant to explore an old community in Murray County, Georgia, known as Cohutta Springs. The place name appears in at least four locations on old maps, and on some maps, actually appears prominently in two places at once. For that reason, we will sometimes distinguish between "Cohutta Springs, east" and "Cohutta Springs, west," though both of them appear on old maps simply as "Cohutta Springs." The original place name appears to belong with the mineral springs, located at the base of Grassy Mountain, northeast of the old Summerhour Chapel. The springs are at the dead end of Cohutta Springs Road, off of U.S. Highway 411. The post office opened a branch five miles west of the springs in 1836, at which time the second place name for Cohutta Springs appeared on old maps. Later maps designate the second "Cohutta Springs" as "Cohutta Springs P.O." The post office suspended mail delivery during the Civil War. Some years later, after that post office closed, another branch was opened west, but much nearer, the mineral springs, and the place name on maps followed it. The other two instances of "Cohutta Springs" as a place name are an additional site very near the springs, and an area north of the springs called "North Cohutta Springs."

Loss of the Old Mill

The old ruins of the mill and dance hall on the property of an old, historic mineral springs always interested me. I loved to visit the old mill when it was still standing. The diagonal timbers were pretty, I thought. The massive wooden beams of the mill were something to see. I first visited it as a child in the late sixties or early seventies. Even then, it was falling in. In the seventies, the Georgia Cumberland Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists bought the property and built a new conference center and lake a half-mile or so from the older ruins. The mill was in hazardous condition, already falling into the creek. No one then had the money to restore it. The new owners demolished it, but first, they created a history project to document all they could learn about the mill, mineral springs, and old resort. They spoke to neighbors and collected stories, deed histories, and a bit of genealogical information. The mill is now gone, but not forgotten.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Cohutta Springs in the 1870s