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"S" is for Springs

South Carolina From A to Z
SC Public Radio

"S" is for Springs. The springs of South Carolina became popular destinations for the state’s citizens beginning in the late eighteenth century. There were scores of mineral springs in the state. Some were local watering holes, but others became fashionable resorts. Large hotels were built to take advantage of the mineral springs. Glenn Springs in Spartanburg—with water that smelled like sulfur and had a bitter alkaline taste—was one of the best known. Other notable springs included Healing Springs (Barnwell District), Platt Springs (Lexington District), Lightwood Knot Springs (Richland District), and Cool Springs (Kershaw District). South Carolinians traveled to the springs to drink the water and to visit with one another. Springs and related resorts declined as vacation destinations in the twentieth century; however water from the various springs continued to be popular until the 1940s.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.