Clinton’s Original Water Source
The abundance of fresh water made Clinton a popular resting place for travelers on the Natchez Trace. For centuries, Town Spring supplied water to Native Americans and overland travelers from the North and East as well as flatboatmen returning from New Orleans to their frontier homes.
Public Access to the Spring
After Clinton was surveyed in 1829, Spring Street was laid out for a public access to the spring – the town’s main source of water. At the source, the spring had a marble basin enclosed in brick.
The town built a water well near the spring and began operating a water system in 1906. Spring Street was closed, but the Town Spring remained usable as late as 1951 when an ice storm caused a power failure and Clinton’s water system shut down. People turned to the Town Spring for water during the emergency.
The Spring Hotel
In 1825, Landy Lindsey constructed a log tavern next to the spring with two main rooms, a narrow hall, and some clapboard rooms.
In 1834, Lindsey sold the Spring Hotel to Hugh Campbell, who remodeled the tavern into a two-story grand hotel. Located on the stagecoach route, the hotel was known as a place where weary travelers could rest and hungry men could find plenty to eat. The spring led to the construction of several other hotels built around the site in the 1830s, all using water from Town Spring.
Next Destination: