Creative Commons Image Obtained Through Flickr
Located in Madison County at the confluence of the French Broad River and Spring Creek, Hot Springs has long been a destination for therapeutic relief. First Native Americans, then European settlers “took the cure” in the hot mineral waters. In 1831 James Patton of Asheville built the 35- room Warm Springs Hotel. His dining room could seat 600 people, and the planter elite of South Carolina and Georgia brought culture and prosperity to the small village. After 1884, a rebuilt hotel made Hot Springs one of the most lavish resorts in the Southeast. Changing tastes and a series of fires ended the resort’s grand era by World War I. Hot Springs is best known now as a resting spot on the Appalachian Trail.
Multimedia:
Below is the Digital Heritage Moment as broadcast on the radio:
[audio:http://dh.wcu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/HotSprings60Mx.mp3|titles=HotSprings60Mx]
