<p align="center"><strong>Accommodations</strong></p>

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<a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/second-morgan-springs-hotel-rhea-county/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1029/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Woman and child in a horse and carriage in front of the second Morgan Springs Hotel in Rhea County" height="auto" width="450" vspace="50" hspace="50" align="left"></a href>

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Patrons seeking the benefit of mineral springs endured arduous rides on horseback and in wagons to reach the waters in the highlands of East Tennessee.  With resort development arising after 1830, these locales became true destinations.  Stagecoach routes certainly served some of the earliest health seekers.  But as resorts across the state came into their own, they utilized a combination of the burgeoning railroad system and hacks, carriages, and “omnibuses” to complete the conveyance of customers to their establishments.

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<p align="left"><sub><i>The second Morgan Springs Hotel, about 1915. Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection, 1890-1981, ID: 11210. </p></sub></i>


<a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/railroad-bridge-at-the-nolichucky-river/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1011/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Railroad bridge at the Nolichucky River" height="auto" width="450" vspace="50" hspace="50" align="right"></a href>

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Railroad "Train Tables" made an effort to list the stops for the watering spas along the route. The small annual advertising pamphlets published by many of the resorts would often include a map such as the one on the back of the Galbraith Springs (Hawkins County) 1893 publication emphasizing the connections to particular railroad lines. Railroads even sponsored their own works. A case in point would be the 1882 Guide to the Summer Resorts and Watering Places of East Tennessee produced by the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad Company for the promotion of their business through these sites.

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<p align="right"><sub><i>Railroad Bridge at the Nolichucky River, 1894. Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection, 1890-1981, ID: 7053.</sub></i></p>
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<p align="center"><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/map-of-east-tennessee-virginia-georgia-rail-road/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1036/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Map of East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Rail Road with different towns and springs listed" width="800" height="auto" vspace="5" hspace="50" align="center"></a href></p align>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Map of East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Rail Road, 1880. TSLA Map Collection, ID: 40297.</sub></i></p>


<p align="center"><strong>Bon Aqua Springs, Hickman County</strong></p>

<p align="center"><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/the-first-bon-aqua-springs-hotel/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1014/type/native/viewcontent" alt="The first Bon Aqua Springs Hotel, 1870s, with people on the porch" height="300" width="auto" vspace="10" hspace="5" align="center"></a href><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/the-second-bon-aqua-springs-hotel-1890s/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1017/type/native/viewcontent" alt="The second Bon Aqua Springs Hotel, 1890s, with people on the porch" height="300" width="auto" vspace="10" hspace="5" align="center"></a href><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/the-third-bon-aqua-springs-hotel/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1020/type/native/viewcontent" alt="The third Bon Aqua Springs Hotel, 1939, with cars parked in front" height="300" width="auto" vspace="10" hspace="5" align="center"></a href></p>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Left to Right: The first Bon Aqua Springs Hotel, 1870s. Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection, 1890-1981, ID: 8540. The second Bon Aqua Springs Hotel, 1890s. Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection, 1890-1981, ID: 8547. The third Bon Aqua Springs Hotel, 1939. Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection, 1890-1981, ID: 8557.</i></sub></p>

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Named by William Loche Weems for its "good water," Bon Aqua Springs attracted visitors as early as the 1830s. By the 1870s, a hotel was built and eventually boasted accomodations for up to 500 guests. In an 1874 issue of the Memphis Public Ledger newspaper, the resort advertised a long list of offerings, including bowling alleys, hairdressers, bath houses, "unsurpassed" cusine, music, and a lake with "new and tasty little boats and well adapted for all manner aquatic sports." The hotel was rebuilt twice due to fires, and it eventually was torn down in the 1940s.


<p align="center"><strong>Red Boiling Springs, Macon County</strong</p>

<p align="center"><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/palace-hotel-at-red-boiling-springs-showing-several-unidentified-men-and-an-automobile-in-front/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1003/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Palace Hotel with cars in front" height="350" width="auto" hspace="5" vspace="5" align="center"></a href><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/the-donoho-hotel-in-red-boiling-springs-macon-county/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1060/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Donoho Hotel in Red Boiling Springs" height="360" width="auto" hspace="5" vspace="5" align ="center"></a href>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Left: Palace Hotel in Red Boiling Springs, June 1924. Library Photograph Collection, ID: 4117.</i></sub></p>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Right: Donoho Hotel in Red Boiling Springs, about 1914. Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection, 1890-1981, ID: 9191.</i></sub></p>

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Red Boiling Springs and Epperson Springs were located on opposite sides of Macon County, but both drew numerous visitors during the years that they were open.

While Red Boiling Springs was named for its red sulphur spring, it offered a black sulphur spring as well. Samuel Hare established a community in the area in the 1840s and it was later developed into a resort in the 1880s. It eventually featured 9 hotels, such as the Palace Hotel and the Donoho Hotel. Although Red Boiling Springs' popularity peaked in the 1920s and 1930s, some of the hotels were open into the 1950s. Today, several are on the National Register of Historic Places.

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<p align="center"><strong>Epperson Springs, Macon County</strong></p>

<p align="center"><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/color-tinted-photograph-of-the-exterior-of-the-epperson-springs-hotel/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1045/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Color tinted photograph of the exterior of the Epperson Springs Hotel" height="250" width="auto" hspace="0" vspace="25" align="center"></a href><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/postcard-of-group-of-springs-epperson-springs-macon-county/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1047/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Color tinted photograph of the a group of springs at Epperson Springs" height="250" width="auto" hspace="0" vspace="25" align="center"></a href></p>

<sub><i><p align="center">Color tinted photograph of the exterior of the Epperson Springs Hotel, before 1926. Tennessee Postcard Collection, ID: 50477</i></sub></p>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Postcard of a group of springs, Epperson Springs, Macon County. Tennessee Postcard Collection, ID: 50482.</sub></i></p>

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Epperson Springs was originally built in the early 1850s and the resort closed after it burned in 1926. In Introduction to the Resources of Tennessee published in 1874, Agricultural Commissioner J.B. Killebrew wrote that Epperson Springs had "five different kinds of health-giving waters." It later offered electricity, tennis courts, horeseback riding, and other features. In the second postcard, a group of springs are noted by the multiple gazebos. Gazebos were built over the springs to protect the natural feature and allow visitors a place to sit and enjoy the waters.

<p align="center"><a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/sun-parlor-and-stairway-entrance-epperson-springs-hotel/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1079/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Sun parlor and stairway entrance, Epperson Springs Hotel" height="600" width="auto" hspace="0" vspace="25" align="center"></a href><a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/steam-laundry-and-engine-room-epperson-springs-hotel/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1078/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Steam laundry and engine room, Epperson Springs Hotel" height="600" width="auto" hspace="0" vspace="25" align="center"></a href></p>

<sub><i><p align="center">Sun parlor and stairway entrance, Epperson Springs Hotel, before 1924. Tennessee Postcard Collection, ID: 50500</i></sub></p>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Steam laundry and engine room, Epperson Springs Hotel, . Tennessee Postcard Collection, ID: 50496.</sub></i></p><br>

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<br><p align="center"><strong>Bon Air Springs, White County</strong></p>

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Bon Air was a mining town in White County, but it originated as a popular community for tourists. Built along Bon Air Mountain, the resort Bon Air Springs began attracting visitors as early as the 1840s. In his 1877 Oil Region of Tennessee, Commissioner Killebrew wrote, "The high elevation of this place rising as it does far above the malarious atmosphere of the bottoms, assures vigorous health to the sojourner."

<p align="left"><a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/letter-from-william-t-peyton-to-his-mother-fannie-trousdale-peyton-from-bon-air-in-white-county-page-1/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1050/type/native/viewcontent" alt="First page of William T. Peyton's letter to his mother about his stay in Bon Air" height="auto" width="700" align="left" hspace="50" vspace="5"></a href></p>

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Like most resorts, it often attracted wealthy and notable guests. In 1897, William Trousdale Peyton (grandson of Governor William Trousdale and politician Balie Peyton) wrote to his mother during his stay at Bon Air. In his letter, he writes "The place is beautiful & we enjoy the evenings in a pavilion overlooking the valley & facing the west so the view is magnificent about sunset, just after which a strong breeze rises." When describing when he might return to their home in Gallatin, he said, "Neither have I any idea how soon that will be as it is quite pleasant and agreeable up here."

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<p align="left"><sub><i>Letter from William T. Peyton to his mother Fannie Trousdale Peyton from Bon Air in White County, page 1. Peyton Family Papers, 1790-1999, ID: 53131.</sub></i></p>

<sub><p align="left"><strong><a href="https://tsla.tnsosfiles.com/digital/teva/transcripts/53131.pdf">Click Here</a href> to read the full transcription.</sub></strong></p>

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John W. Overton and his family and friends were also guests of Bon Air Springs. Their visit to the area in 1911 and 1912 are documented in a family scrapbook. One of the noted guests that they visited the resort with was Jacob McGavock Dickinson, a prominent Nashvillian and Secretary of War under President William Howard Taft. Click on an image to see the page in greater detail.

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<p align="center"><a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/trip-to-bon-air-springs-scrapbook-page-1/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1094/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Scrapbook page documenting visit to Bon Air Springs with pictures of groups of friends, Jacob McGavock Dickinson, and the view of the valley" height="auto" width="700" vspace="0" hspace="50" align="center"></a href><a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/trip-to-bon-air-springs-scrapbook-page-2/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1095/type/native/viewcontent" alt=" Scrapbook page documenting visit to Bon Air Springs with pictures of groups of friends, the cottage at Bon AIr, and a view of the valley from the cottage" height="auto" width="700" vspace="0" hspace="50" align="center"></a href></p>


<p align="center"><strong>Whittle Springs, Knox County</strong></p>

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<p align="center"><a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/envelope-from-carremaye-evans-to-ewell-anderson/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1087/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Envelope from Carremaye Evans to Ewell Anderson with an illustration of the Whittle Springs Hotel" width="800" height="auto" hspace="0" vspace="25" align="center"></a href></p>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Envelope from Carremaye Evans to Ewell Anderson, February 7, 1929. Ewell Avery Anderson (1901-1988) Papers, 1895-2007, ID: 547183_003.</p></i></sub>

Described as "Tennessee's Finest Pleasure Resort," Whittle Springs opened in 1918 along the popular Dixie Highway in Knoxville. In 1919, it was profiled by Hotel Monthly, which stated the resort was located on 200 acres and offered a golf course, modern swimming pool that was 80 feet wide by 100 feet long, and dining rooms that could sit up to 400 people. In 1923, the hotel president wrote to Governor Austin Peay inviting him to stay at the hotel during his visit to the East Tennessee Division Fair. The letter also served as a pamphlet featuring photos of the resort and nearby attractings in Knoxville.

<p align="center"><a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/letter-from-sr-rawls-president-of-whittle-springs-hotel-co-to-governor-peay-inviting-him-to-the-resort/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1080/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Letter from S.R. Rawls, President of Whittle Springs Hotel Co., to Governor Peay inviting him to the resort. The letterhead features an illustration of the hotel and some of the grounds" width="auto" height="450" hspace="0" vspace="25" align="center"><a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/pamphlet-for-whittle-springs-hotel-health-pleasure-resort-3//"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1083/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Pamphlet for Whittle Springs Hotel, Health & Pleasure Resort, featuring depictions of the massive swimming pool, the dining rooms, and a profile on the University of Tennessee" width="auto" height="450" hspace="0" vspace="25" align="center"></a href></p>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Letter from S.R. Rawls, President of Whittle Springs Hotel Co., to Governor Peay inviting him to the resort. GP 40: Governor Austin Peay Papers, 1923-1927, ID: 54709_001.</p></i></sub>

<p align="center"><sub><i>Pamphlet for Whittle Springs Hotel, Health & Pleasure Resort profiling the resort and the University of Tennessee, 1922. GP 40: Governor Austin Peay Papers, 1923-1927, ID: 54709_004.</p></i></sub>


<p align="center"><strong>Tate Springs, Grainger County</strong</p>

<a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/postcard-of-tate-springs-resort-grainger-county/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1038/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Postcard of the gazebo at Tate Springs Resort" height="350" width="auto" hspace="0" vspace="25" align="left"></a href><a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/tate-springs-hotel-grainger-county/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1034/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Black and white photo of Tate Springs Hotel" height="350" width="auto" hspace="15" vspace="25" align="left"></a href>

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Frequented by famous families such as the Fords, Rockefellers, Firestones, Studebakers and Mellons, Tate Springs operated as a world-class luxury resort during its prime in the early 1900s.  Its “Tate Epsom Water” was shipped all over the world as a cure for stomach, kidney, and liver ailments.  The Peavine Railroad, completed in 1896, brought in the clientele, with the richest arriving in private rail cars.  They treated themselves to the stables, tennis courts, billiards room, ballroom, 100-acre park, and golf course.

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<sub><i>Postcard of the gazebo and spring at Tate Springs Resort, 1920s. Tennessee Postcard Collection, ID: 46364.</sub></i>

<sub><i>Tate Springs Hotel, 1947. RG 82: Tennessee Department of Conservation Photograph Collection, 1937-1976, ID: 15606.</sub></i>


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<p align="center"><strong>Faulkner Springs, Warren County</strong></p>

<a href="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/faulkner-springs-hotel-mcminnville-warren-county-2/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1059/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Faulkner Springs Hotel, McMinnville with visible waterfall from the mill" height="auto" width="500" align="left" vspace="25" hspace="25"></a href>

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Faulkner Springs Hotel opened around 1906. Named for its founder Clay Faulkner, it originally was the site of the Mountain City Woolen Mills until the business closed after a disastrous flood in 1902. Faulkner remodeled the building and the spring water previously used to power the mill was used to attract guests for the resort.

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<p align="left"><Sub><i>Faulkner Springs Hotel, McMinnville, Warren County, about 1910. Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection, 1890-1981, ID: 12530.</i></sub></p>


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<p align="center"><strong>Craggie Hope, Dickson County</strong></p>

<a href="http://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/exhibit/wish-you-were-here/accommodations/craggie-hope-hotel-2/"><img src="https://digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/context/historicresorts/article/1041/type/native/viewcontent" alt="Craggie Hope Hotel around 1953" height="auto" width="450" hspace="50" vspace="25" align="right"></a href>

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While some larger resorts could host up to 500 guests at one hotel, there were also many smaller resort towns across the state. Craggie Hope in Dickson County was a vacation destination around the late 1890s-early 1900s. It featured two smaller hotels and privately owned summer cottages.

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<sub><i><p align="right">Craggie Hope Hotel, around 1953. THS 484: Ralph G. Morrissey Collection, ID: 46533.</i></sub></p>


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<p align="center"><strong>Explore the items featured in this section and more below.</strong></p>

Second Morgan Springs Hotel, Rhea County

Second Morgan Springs Hotel, Rhea County

Railroad bridge at the Nolichucky River

Railroad bridge at the Nolichucky River

The first Bon Aqua Springs Hotel

The first Bon Aqua Springs Hotel

Craggie Hope Hotel

Craggie Hope Hotel

Craggie Hope Hotel 2

Craggie Hope Hotel 2

Postcard of group of springs, Epperson Springs, Macon County

Postcard of group of springs, Epperson Springs, Macon County

Palace Hotel at Red Boiling Springs, showing several unidentified men and an automobile in front.

Palace Hotel at Red Boiling Springs, showing several unidentified men and an automobile in front.

Color tinted photograph of the exterior of the Epperson Springs Hotel.

Color tinted photograph of the exterior of the Epperson Springs Hotel.

Letter from William T. Peyton to his mother Fannie Trousdale Peyton from Bon Air in White County, page 1

Letter from William T. Peyton to his mother Fannie Trousdale Peyton from Bon Air in White County, page 1

Letter from William T. Peyton to his mother Fannie Trousdale Peyton from Bon Air in White County, page 2

Letter from William T. Peyton to his mother Fannie Trousdale Peyton from Bon Air in White County, page 2

Postcard with handwritten correspondence.

Postcard with handwritten correspondence.

Map of East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Rail Road

Map of East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Rail Road