Forgotten Mineral Spring Resort in North Carolina
Jackson Springs Resort | Moore County, NC | Founded c. late 1700s
Jackson Springs was founded in the late 1700s when William Jackson discovered a spring that would later be named for him. Word of the curative benefits of this mineral water spread and soon, visitors began coming to the springs, looking for their own sip of cure.
A newspaper article from the North Carolina Gazette, Fayetteville, NC, on Thursday, 2 August 1877 said: “The good old Jackson Springs’ – the richest treasure the county affords…they present quite a romantic appearance to the traveler, who seldom passes without tasting their water, and, when he has once tasted it, not a full, gushing goblet could tempt him to leave it.”
Another article from later that year said about the spring water: “The water of Jackson’s Springs is undoubtedly possessed of rare medicinal and health-restoring properties, from the testimony given by intelligent persons who have used it, and from the cures it has accomplished. It is especially beneficial in all disorders of the liver, and it is claimed to be an almost unfailing specific for dyspepsia.” (North Carolina Gazette, Fayetteville, NC, Thursday, 6 September 1877).
Plans were developed to make the town into a health spa and recreational resort and in 1890, a 120-room hotel was built. A spur railroad line from the Asheboro & Aberdeen Line brought service 6 times a day- delivering travelers to the health resort.
The proprietor in this era was Mr. R. R. Ross, who oversaw the luxurious Victorian-style hotel which boasted electric lights, baths, steam heat, with a a large front porch. It had steps that led down to the spring and the dance pavilion. In 1902, guests could stay at the hotel for $1.50-$2.50/day or $7.00-$10.00/week. By this time, the resort was so popular that they had to turn guests away due to overcrowding in the Summer of 1902. The small community of Jackson Springs was bustling. Complete with a drugstore, bowling alley, train depot, a school, and other businesses.
The town was well-renowned locally for its flowing springs of mineral water, but soon, it would gain national notoriety. In 1904, members of the Page Family, who were regular visitors here, took water from Jackson Springs to the St. Louis Worlds Fair. It earned 2nd best mineral water in the United States, winning the silver medal.
According to local doctors, the water from Jackson Springs “makes sick folks well” and was often recommended by them for the treatment of kidney issues, indigestion, and insomnia. Its notoriety grew so much that the town started bottling the water for shipment. For $3/case, households could purchase 12 glass bottles of mineral water from Jackson Springs, shipped to them via railcar.
The small but bustling community prospered through the 1920s but tragedy struck in 1932 when the hotel caught fire and most of it was lost. Followed by The Great Depression, recovery for the resort was impossible and the area began to decline quickly.
The spring house, depot, and public house were empty for many years and had fallen into disrepair. In 2007, the Moore County Historical Association took on the task of restoring the old depot.
It is quite a shame that NC does not have a governor that would bring investment into the state for the this place or others!
My mom was born in 1930 and we would drive all over past haunts in Moore and Montgomery counties.
I remember her telling me on one of our visits to this spot that train loads of people would travel here and it was a big deal. She mentioned dancing but not the water if memory serves me. Sometimes you can tell more by how they said it, than what they said.
I knew it was a big deal.
Lovely article. So many places like this throughout the Appalachian mtns.
But what about the water. Are the springs still active and safe?
The spring still flows in front of the depot 🙂
any thing n. carolina i am on it, love the story’s my mom was born in beverdam n.corolina in 1934.