OLD SULPHUR SPRINGS

NAME: Old Sulphur Springs
COUNTY: Irion County
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 4
CLIMATE: Hot Summers/Cold Winters
BEST TIME TO VISIT: No open visitation - Privately Owned
COMMENTS: No current residents. Approximately 6 miles north of Chester and 5 miles north-northeast of Peach Tree Village in northern Tyler County.
REMAINS: Partial foundation from several buildings, including a hotel.

The town site is located near a natural sulphur spring used by Native American tribes for its supposed healing properties. In the early 1800's Dr. Stephen Wilson opened a sanatorium on the site along with a hotel. People came from all across the country to be healed by the sulphur springs. Located in and around the town were several homes, a blacksmith shop, general store, and of course the Hotel and Sanatorium. In 1863 a mysterious fire destroyed the hotel and several buildings in the town and soon after Dr. Wilson himself passed away. In the years following the Civil War, several of the other buildings were moved elsewhere, while others simply decayed and succumbed to mother nature. Locals were still enjoying the spring itself for many years up until the mid 1940's. Today the only remnants are several large cedar trees, several very large crepe myrtles, and stones which appear to be the foundation for several homes. There are two cemeteries located within a 1/2 mile of the old town site. One is the Wilson Cemetery where Dr. Stephen Wilson and his family are buried and the other is the Payne Cemetery. Subsequent metal detecting investigations have uncovered broken China, medicine bottles, horse tack, parts of old plows and saws, and also charcoal buried under approximately 10 inches of soil and roots.

Submitted by: Casey Whitworth

 

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