RAMSEY SPRINGS

experience

Native American tribes frequented the mineral springs to drink and bathe in the waters. After Confederate soldier Abner Walker stumbled upon the spring in 1864 and found relief from stomach ulcers, he began touting the healing properties of Ramsey Springs, which became a popular site for swimming, camping, fishing, and Methodist Camp Meetings. Beginning in 1826, the Ramsey family built a schoolhouse, church, and meeting grounds. Visitors who came for the preaching stayed in tents, log cabins, and a dormitory-style pavilion near the springs, returning home with stories of the beauty of the site and its health-giving springs.

The property was acquired by the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain for public access to the springs including a trail to the Red Creek trail. The project included historic research, narrative development, graphics, and conservation planning for the trail and site. A trail map and a series of interpretive boards were installed to highlight the mineral springs, transportation, activities, lodgings, camp meetings, and homesteading.