Beersheba Springs

When Beersheba Porter Cain, wife of McMinnville merchant John Cain, followed a mountainous Grundy County pathway in 1833, she discovered the chalybeate spring that would come to bear her name. The bluff site high above the Collins River Valley became the home of this noted antebellum watering place.

By 1839, Beersheba Springs had incorporated and begun official operation as a summer resort. A small hotel was built, along with a row of log cabins. The somewhat primitive establishment benefited from the stagecoach traffic along the new road running from McMinnville to Chattanooga. Cabins sprang up as well-to-do local families discovered this idyllic haven and began making annual treks.

Group of men and women (possibly the Gates Thurston family) at a local site in Beersheba Springs called Balancing Rock, about 1905. Library Photograph Collection, ID: 295.

The acquisition of the property in 1854 by Colonel John Armfield, a Louisiana slave trader, ushered in a period of intense development that gave the mid-nineteenth century cottage community its present flavor and layout. Armfield is thought to have brought around one hundred slaves to the area to complete his improvements. The new luxurious hotel that was constructed, along with the cabins and grounds, could accommodate four hundred guests. At that point, twenty cottages were perched on the grounds, each with its own charm. Louisiana planters had followed Armfield to the region to escape the summer swelter of the lowlands. Two cottages were built for Bishops Otey and Polk as Beersheba Springs vied for the Episcopal university that would be placed at Sewanee.

Martha Franklin Armfield (right) sewing with unidentified ladies seated at the Beersheba Inn gallery, 1890. Library Photograph Collection, ID: 281.

Under Armfield's direction, the resort added a laundry, ice houses, billiard rooms, and bowling alleys to the grounds. Many shade and fruit trees were planted and the observatory was rebuilt. The hotel offered meals catered by French chefs, music by New Orleans bands, and other elaborate amenities. However, Beersheba Springs as a tourist destination closed during the Civil War. Outside investors bought the hotel in 1868, and it reopened in the 1870s. It never reached the height of its former popularity.

Madge Hall, Mary Mitchell, John Mitchell, Mrs. Charles Mitchell, Margaret Mitchell (McCloud), George Mitchell, and Marie Lipscomb on the Mitchell's porch. Library Photograph Collection, ID: 275.

Left: Beersheba Hotel, about 1930.Library Photograph Collection, ID: 266.

Right: Methodist Assembly Building, before 1964. Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection, 1890-1981, ID: 8844.

By the 1940s, the Methodist Church acquired Beersheba Springs. After extensive repair work and some limited improvements, the church began to use it for assembly and summer camp. Now known as Beersheba Springs Assembly, the original hotel and other original structures can still be seen today.

Collection Highlight: John Williams Overton Papers, 1917-1982

These pages are from the scrapbook made in memoriam to John W. Overton by his mother Saidee W. Overton. This section documents the family and their friends' trips to Beersheba Springs in 1911 and 1912. The pictures feature a friend's cottage, excursions across the Barren Fork River, the cliffs at Stone Door, Laurel Mill Falls, Long's Mill, and scenes from the Collins River Valley. Click on an image to see a page in more detail.

Collection Highlight: Hollowell Family Papers

The Howells were among the first of the prominent Nashville families to forge ties with Beersheba Springs in the 1870s. These images found in the Hollowell Family Papers illustrate the connections between the Howells and the Hollowells and their love for Beersheba Springs.

Left: Photo postcard of Laurel Falls at Beersheba Springs. Hollowell Family Papers, 1834-1961, ID: 54699.

Right: Photo postcard of Hotel Beersheba Springs. Hollowell Family Papers, 1834-1961, ID: 54702.

Left: Photo postcard of Howell Cottage at Beersheba Springs. Hollowell Family Papers, 1834-1961, ID: 54705.

Right: Photo postcard of Longs Mill Swimming Pool, Beersheba Springs, Tenn. Hollowell Family Papers, 1834-1961, ID: 54704.

Left: Photo postcard of group of women in gazebo at Beersheba Springs. Hollowell Family Papers, 1834-1961, ID: 54706.

Right: Photo postcard of View of Court, Beersheba Springs Hotel. Hollowell Family Papers, 1834-1961, ID: 54703.

Left: Three unidentified women at Howell Cottage in Beersheba Springs. Hollowell Family Papers, 1834-1961, ID: 54700.

Right: Group eating dinner at Howell Cottage in Beersheba Springs. Hollowell Family Papers, 1834-1961, ID: 54701.

Explore the items featured in this section and more below.

Detail of the interior court at Beersheba Inn

Beersheba Inn

Mrs. John Armfield sewing with unidentified ladies seated at the Beersheba Inn gallery.

Margaret Mitchell McCloud and friends playing cards on the Mitchell cottage porch.

Madge Hall, Mary Mitchell, John Mitchell, Mrs. Charles Mitchell, Margaret Mitchell (McCloud), George Mitchell, and Marie Lipscomb on the Mitchell's porch.

Ward Smith, Frank Kercheval, and George G. Mitchell seated on a porch swing with Charles Mitchell Sr. standing behind them.

Methodist Assembly located in Beersheba Springs, Tennessee

Unidentified group, presumably the Gates Thurston family, and friends at Balancing Rock

Three unidentified women at Howell Cottage in Beersheba Springs

Group eating dinner at Howell Cottage in Beersheba Springs

Laurel Falls at Beersheba Springs

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<p align="center"><strong>Beersheba Springs</strong></p>

<p align="center"><strong>Collection Highlight: John Williams Overton Papers, 1917-1982</strong></p>

<p align="center"><strong>Collection Highlight: Hollowell Family Papers</strong></p>

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