On the winding drive between Harris City and Pine Mountain I came across this site, which immediately caught my attention. Research led me to the story of one of old Georgia’s most famous health resorts, White Sulphur Springs. Thanks to the efforts of Steven Stewart, the present owner, it’s being restored. Apparently, it had stood abandoned for many years.
Like the other mineral springs which dot Meriwether County, White Sulphur Springs has a water whose quality has legions of devotees. To those it’s helped with all sorts of ailments, its healing powers are real. Mr. Stewart told Aaron Lake, “I can’t say whether it has medicinal properties, but these people have experienced it.” I believe Mr. Stewart has plans to bottle the water in the future.
In its prime, White Sulphur Springs boasted a luxury hotel, which burned down in 1948, but a few cabins and the pavilion remain. An obvious love of history has motivated Mr. Stewart to save what he can on this historic property. Notables such as John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan, George Vanderbilt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy were among the many celebrities who visited here.
I’m presently unaware of the progress of the restoration, but this is private property. My photos were made from the right of way. I just couldn’t pass by without stopping.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 
The bottling company has actually come into fruition. My sister (Mary Kay) and I visited the area a few years ago. There are two wells on the West side of the highway, and the water is pump directly from one of wells (I think it is the one pictured above, but I could be wrong about that). There is another well and pavilion on the East side about 100 yards behind the property mentioned in the post by Pat Norton (she’s my sister, too). The area was too grown over to get back there. When my family lived there, I loved to go back there to read and do homework (with my large family in that small house, it was hard to think sometimes).
Thank you, Brian, for posting these pictures! My family and I lived in one of the cabins when I was in 2nd grade; 1962-63. I remember it was so close to the road that my brother jumped off the porch onto the roadway. There was a small rock retaining wall between the house and the road, too.
The cabin consisted of 3 rooms and a bathroom. One room and the bathroom had no heat so we couldn’t use either without freezing, unless it was warm outside. There was also an outhouse that us kids would use if we were playing outside on a nice day. There was plenty of room to play but there were yellow blobs of sulphur on the surface of the ground. Not nice to step on and stunk to high heaven at times.
Wonderful of you to share these memories, Pattie! I will incorporate them into the post as soon as I can.
There was a building across the road from our house that had an indoor swimming pool in it. Even then it was being reclaimed by nature. There were small trees and vines growing everywhere. Several windows were broken out. At one end of the pool there was a lion’s head that probably was a fountain. I only saw the building once, Daddy took us kids to see it. Funny what we remember from childhood.
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Glad to see this. In the mid 1990’s I actually looked at this as it was for sale at the time and I was considering purchasing it and restoring it.
Is this the location of the campmeeting building that was put together with wood pegs and in which J.L. Jamison, a pastor in Manchester from about 1946-1958 organized and held yearly meetings til about 1959? The spring pavilion looks hauntingly familiar!
I’m honestly not sure. Would be interesting to learn more.
We are in Pine Mountain today . What Hwy is this located on ?
Many thanks from Athens, GA and do you know of any info about Bullouchville Ga now Warm Springs ?
West on Hwy 18 from Harris City Ga. And there’s plenty to do in Warm Springs.
Isn’t this the same White Sulphur Springs in Georgia that the Indians were thrown off the property, then it was hotels and other businesses that kept getting destroyed by tornados? Then a few years ago they asked the Indians to come and bless the land, because it was believed it was cursed due to the miss treatment of the Indians and now its owned by a bottled water company which they sold the land for $1,000,000 to the company due that the owner was dying of cancer. People only get bits of pieces of info. Research this property thoroughly. My Great, Great Grandmother was in the trail of tears. I pretty much know how it went down. SMH…
I haven’t read this history, because it’s usually not available for obvious reason, but I agree with you that there is much to make right with these sorts of places. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, thank you for sharing this curiosity50. Blessings to you + your family.
When you say “Indian”, do you mean the Lower Creeks of the Muscogee Nation? If so, I can tell you that Harris County was established in 1827 from parts of Muscogee and Troup Counties along with lands that once belonged to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The unlawful Treaty of Indian Springs, signed in 1825 (by McIntosh, et al), ceded the Lower Creeks’ lands to Georgia, and the 1826 Treaty of Washington reaffirmed the declaration… this resulted in the Lower Creeks being pushed out, even if the act that sold their land was not lawful, and the Upper Creeks (that lived in what is now Alabama) were pushed out later. Most of the Muscogee Nation were later pushed to “Indian Territory” during the Trail of Tears under Andrew Jackson in the 1830s.
My maternal grandfather was born in White Sulfer Springs, Meriwether County, GA. Check out the (now out-of-print-book) __Brooks of Honey and Butter__ , by Wm. Davidson
I have the books Brooks of Honey and Butter, both volumes they are wonderful
Allqua Water recently acquired these Sulphur springs and is bottling under the name Allqua Water.
About Allqua Water
Silver Member
Allqua water comes from a single spring source located in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Allqua water is unique because our spring is 100% naturally alkaline. The natural elements, minerals, and alkalinity found in our water combine to create a superior taste that is unmatched.
I am reading Murder in Coweta County and it is mentioned that Turners body was put in a well on that land at White Sulfur Springs. I have riden by there many times on the way to Pine Mountain and have heard stories. I think it would be great to have this restored
There is another area of the springs a little further back from the highway. We used to drive over Ang get 2 or three gallons every couple of weeks. This was in 2009-10. It does help many ailments.
I guess there are 2 White Sulpher Springs! I’m completely in the wrong state. Alexander Hanna’s hotel was in De Kalb County, Alabama, next door to Dade County Georgia.
My apologies!
It’s fine, Kilby. There are at least two places with this name in Georgia, as well. Mineral springs were the spas of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. As popular then as beaches are today!
Florida also has a White Springs, that I think used to be called White Sulfur Springs. Doing genealogy research I found reference to a gentleman from Appling County having died two weeks after getting home from spending two months in the ‘rejuvenating waters of White Springs Florida’.
Never in a million years did I think you would feature something connected to my family!
Alexander Hanna built The White Sulphur Spring’s Hotel in 1871! He was my 4th great uncle. I only heard of it when I started doing genealogy and digging deeper into family history a few years ago. Alexander died in 1894.
Best of luck to Mr. Stewart in his restoration efforts.